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.

Hurricane Erin will not be making landfall in the southeastern U.S., according to the National Weather Service's briefing at 5 a.m., Aug. 17. The storm "will pass well offshore through the coming week," wrote the NWS.

Erin reached Category 5 status before weakening but has brought significant rain to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The outer bands of powerful Hurricane Erin lashed Puerto Rico, and the storm is approaching the Bahamas next. What can the mainland U.S. expect?

Erin, which quickly strengthened into a Category 5 storm on Saturday, is not expected to make landfall in the U.S., but experts remain on alert.

Erin, the first hurricane of the season, exploded to a Category 5 hurricane Saturday, and despite fluctuations in intensity, the storm is remaining formidable this weekend. Here's where it could head in the week ahead.

A westward-moving tropical wave could produce an area of low pressure in the tropical Atlantic late in the week of Aug. 18, the hurricane center said on Aug. 16. The center shows a 20% chance of storm formation over the next week.