Tropical Storm Erin is continuing to pick up strength as it moves across the Atlantic, with forecasters expecting the storm to officially strengthen into a hurricane on Friday, Aug. 15, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Erin formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, forecasters said. The storm could strengthen to become the Atlantic's first hurricane of the season.

Tropical Storm Erin is on the cusp of strengthening into a hurricane and is now forecast to hit Category 4 in a few days in the open ocean. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Erin to cruise west for the next few days — staying comfortably north of inhabited islands — before hooking north early next week and avoiding