As Hurricane Erin swings over the western Atlantic in the coming days, we'll watch a new tropical wave far out in the Atlantic which may develop by the end of the week. Models don't agree about how fast this one could organize or where it could end up in the long term. One thing to note is that at the end of this upcoming week, this next system will just barely reach the far eastern side of the Caribbean Sea... so we have a long time to watch it. Right now the Euro model keeps it weaker and takes it on a very similar path to Erin, curving north over the Atlantic. The GFS model keeps it on a more westward path toward the Bahamas, Cuba or Florida. Both these placements are not for this week but NEXT week, the week of August 24... so we will know a lot more as the next several days pass and we see how the system takes shape. Back to Erin... it is still a major hurricane on Monday after reaching Category 5 status on Saturday. Erin will brush near the Bahamas as it starts its curve to the north and eventually northeast over the Atlantic. Thankfully it is not expected to make a direct strike on any land areas, although high surf, rip currents and breezy winds are expected along the US East Coast this week.