ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Erin is flexing its muscles in the open Atlantic, growing larger and more powerful.

As of Monday morning, Hurricane Erin was packing sustained winds of 130 mph, with hurricane-force winds reaching 70 miles from the eye and tropical-storm-force winds extending 200 miles out.

The storm has developed a larger eye (about 30-miles wide) and may be undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle, which could briefly increase its size further before a slow weakening trend begins late Tuesday.

While the core of Erin will remain far offshore, its expanding wind field is already driving long-period swells toward the Florida coast.

What to Expect in Central Florida

• Rip currents and dangerous surf will persist through the week.

• Breaking waves of 5 to 8 feet are possible by midweek, causing minor beach and dune erosion during high tides.

• Gusty winds will increase Tuesday and Wednesday (10–20 mph, gusting to 30 mph at times).

Latest Recon Missions

Hurricane Hunters from both the U.S. Air Force and NOAA are flying multiple missions into Erin, including high-altitude surveillance and low-level wind flights.

A buoy deployment mission was scheduled Monday to help improve wave and ocean data, with more flights scheduled through Wednesday.