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It is currently not forecast to hit land, but strong winds are affecting nearby islands, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding, landslides and mudslides. The Hurricane Center said it will eventually swerve away from the continental United States.

Tropical storm watches are in place for St. Martin, St. Barts and St. Maarten.

"The outer bands of Erin are expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall through Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico,鈥� the center said. The currently 鈥渃ompact鈥� storm is expected to grow in size in the coming days, resulting in rough ocean waters over the western Atlantic.

Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said Erin is forecast to eventually take a sharp turn northeast that would put it on a path between the U.S. and Bermuda.

鈥淎ll of our best consensus aids show Erin turning safely east of the United States next week, but it鈥檒l be a much closer call for Bermuda, which could land on the stronger eastern side of Erin,鈥� he said.

Protruding U.S. coastal areas 鈥� such as North Carolina鈥檚 Outer Banks, Long Island, New York, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts 鈥� face a higher risk of direct and potentially severe tropical storm or hurricane conditions than much of the southern Atlantic, mid-Atlantic and northern New England coasts, Accuweather said.

Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but the first to reach hurricane status.

This year鈥檚 season is once again . The forecast calls for six to 10 hurricanes, with three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph).

The U.S. government has deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precaution as forecasters issued a flood watch for the entire U.S. territory from late Friday into Monday.

Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary P茅rez Pe帽a said 367 shelters have been inspected and could be opened if needed.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it closed six seaports in Puerto Rico and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands to all incoming vessels unless they had received prior authorization.

Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas said they prepared some public shelters as a precaution as they urged people to track the hurricane.

鈥淭hese storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement,鈥� said Aarone Sargent, managing director for the Bahamas鈥� disaster risk management authority.