The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph while its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4,

Mighty Hurricane Erin will cruise waters just east of the United States this week. Even if the center of the hurricane remains offshore, far-reaching and dangerous impacts will be felt at the beaches.

As of 11 AM AST Sunday, the National Hurricane Center reported that Erin’s center was located about 200 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 240 miles east of Grand Turk Island. The hurricane is packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, making it a Category 3 storm. Its minimum central pressure is estimated at 946 millibars.

Hurricane hunters with the NOAA flew through the eye of Hurricane Erin after it rapidly intensified into a rare Category 5 hurricane. Erin is expected to continue to fluctuate in intensity as it undergoes an eyewall replacement cycle.