Officials in the northern Caribbean are warning of heavy rains and dangerous swells as Tropical Storm Erin approaches the region.

Tropical Storm Erin is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and could bring rough surf and rip currents to the Jersey Shore next week.

Tropical Storm Erin -- which is forecast to strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season by Saturday morning -- won't have a direct impact on the U.S., but it will bring dangerous rip currents to the East Coast.

Extreme rainfall in New Zealand from future cyclones could rise by up to 35%. New high-resolution modeling predicts that rainfall from tropical cyclones will significantly increase under global warming.

The black rainstorm signal was raised at 7:50am on Thursday, as Tropical Cyclone Podul closed in. It is the fifth time the signal has been hoisted in a fortnight. The T1 storm signal has remained in force since Wednesday morning.

Nearly a year has passed since potential tropical cyclone 8 dropped unprecedented rain in parts of Brunswick and New Hanover Counties.