labor day weekend. >> let's just break it down here for clarity, mike, for people who are watching. earlier there were reports that the worst case scenario, possible cat 2/3 here. you're tracking the model. clarify what we were hearing earlier and what we have now. >> reporter: the official forecast has never taken erika above a category 1 hurricane. 80, 85-mile-an-hour winds. i'm not sure where the cat 2 or 3 came from. i think some of the high-end hurricane models, the individual models are saying that. but the official forecast from the national hurricane center in miami are saying no more than a cat 1 at the end of day five. beyond that, uncertainty. right now, gosh knows, we'll be here all weekend and see how it shakes out. stay tuned to msnbc and the weather channel. >> thank you very much. coming up, the former prep school student accused of rain finishes his testimony on the witness stand. in his own defense.