Watch a live tracker of Hurricane Erin as it moves through the northeast Caribbean. The first Atlantic hurricane of the year is not expected to hit land.

The August weather might seem ideal for a beach trip, but Hurricane Erin will bring widespread danger in coming days.

Joe Salter, who as speaker of the state House helped then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco steer Louisiana through the immediate post-Hurricane Katrina period, offering a friendly, even-keeled demeanor during a stressful time, died Saturday. He was 82 and died in Baton Rouge from the spread of his kidney cancer.

The longstanding hurricane rating system, the Saffir-Simpson Scale, only takes into account sustained wind speeds and not the full devastating impact of a hurricane.

Hurricane Erin has strengthened to a dangerous Category 5 storm, but remains on track to just send dangerous surf and rip currents to the Jersey Shore.

Hurricane Erin is bringing heavy rain to the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday as the Category 5 storm moves through the Caribbean

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.