Hurricane Erin Slams North Carolina Coast with Dangerous Rip Currents and Massive Waves | Beach Closures & Safety Warnings Issued

 Hurricane Erin Soaks Coastal North Carolina as It Brushes Along the East Coast

A red flag warning beachgoers of dangerous rip currents flies near an entrance to a coastal beach in North Carolina as Hurricane Erin stirs up hazardous surf conditions along the U.S. East Coast. Authorities have advised the public to stay out of the water due to life-threatening risks.

Hurricane Erin is drenching parts of coastal North Carolina as it skirts the U.S. East Coast, bringing powerful winds, high surf, and dangerous conditions to the region.

The Outer Banks are bearing the brunt of the Category 2 storm. Authorities have shut down Highway 12 between Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Village, citing unsafe conditions on the barrier islands. However, Erin is not expected to make landfall in the U.S.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued warnings against swimming at most East Coast beaches, citing life-threatening rip currents and rough surf. Waves as high as 30 feet (9.1 meters) were reported along the Atlantic seaboard on Wednesday.

Packing sustained winds of 105 mph (168 km/h), Erin is expected to peak by Thursday. The storm has already swept through the Caribbean, soaking Puerto Rico, and forecasters note its unusually large size—with tropical-storm-force winds stretching across a 500-mile-wide area.

In its 8 p.m. EDT (00:00 GMT) update on Wednesday, the NHC said the storm would likely begin to weaken by Friday but is still expected to remain a hurricane into the weekend.

North Carolina officials have been preparing for Erin’s impact. The state’s ferry service has evacuated over 2,200 people following mandatory evacuation orders for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands earlier this week.

Despite no-swimming advisories in place until Friday, some visitors were still spotted in the ocean at Wrightsville Beach on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, at least 60 people had to be rescued from rip currents at that same location.

Governor Josh Stein urged residents to take the storm seriously during a news briefing.

“This is a serious storm,” Stein said. “No one should be in the ocean.”

The governor confirmed that three swift-water rescue teams and 200 National Guard troops are on standby, equipped with boats, aircraft, and other emergency vehicles.

In Nags Head, Lily, a hostess at Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant, told the BBC that the wind was picking up and skies were clouding over, though business remained steady. “Most weather channels are overreacting,” she said, while acknowledging that conditions might be more severe farther south.

On Hatteras Island, local resident Vicki Harrison from Harbor House Seafood Market said she and her family had chosen not to evacuate, unlike many others.

“Tourists left Monday, and residents were asked to go on Tuesday,” she explained. “But we’ve lived here for 40 years. We’ve evacuated before—but staying made more sense this time.”

“We’re safe, hunkered down, and well-stocked with food and water,” she added.