Hurricane Erin is battering the East Coast with life-threatening rip currents, storm surge, and massive waves, even without a direct landfall. The Category 2 hurricane, with winds just shy of Category 3 strength, is driving dangerous surf from the Carolinas northward and has already prompted 90 water rescues in North Carolina on Monday, according to local officials.
The Outer Banks face the gravest threat, with mandatory evacuations ordered for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.
Forecasters warn of waves topping 20 feet, up to four feet of storm surge, and widespread beach erosion. Parts of Highway 12, the main coastal route, could remain impassable for days.
Hurricane #Erin Advisory 32A: Erin Expected to Become Even Larger While Moving Over The Western Atlantic Through the Week. Dangerous Rip Currents Expected Along U. S. East Coast Beaches. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 19, 2025
Erin’s surge also battered Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos earlier this week with flooding and power outages.
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is tracking two additional tropical disturbances, signaling an especially active season ahead.
