Hurricane Erin moves closer to US prompting Tropical Storm, Storm Surge Watches in North Carolina

Preparations underway on East Coast arsenic Hurricane Erin nears

Hurricane Erin remains a almighty Category 3 hurricane connected its travel crossed the Atlantic, and preparations are underway on the East Coast for imaginable impacts. FOX Weather Meteorologists Britta Merwin and Craig Herrera interruption down the latest forecast. connected Aug. 19, 2025.

HATTERAS, N.C. – Millions of radical up and down the East Coast person been told to prepare for impacts from Hurricane Erin arsenic the monster Category 3 hurricane continues connected its travel crossed the Atlantic, bringing it adjacent to the U.S. this week.

Hurricane Erin is not expected to marque landfall successful the U.S. However, outer bands from the monolithic tempest could lash the North Carolina coastline with tropical-storm-force winds and dense rainfall arsenic it passes by the Outer Banks.

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Because of the danger, officials successful immoderate North Carolina communities person told residents and visitors to evacuate and declared section states of exigency up of imaginable life-threatening impacts.

"The State Emergency Response Team is poised and acceptable to respond to immoderate needs from our section communities this week," North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray said successful a statement. "As forecasted impacts go clearer, we volition program for the pre-positioning of immoderate indispensable resources for accelerated deployment on our coast. In the meantime, each visitors and residents on the seashore should travel the instructions of section exigency absorption officials to support you and your family safe," helium added.

Officials said that with the forecast showing the imaginable for tropical-storm-force winds, unsafe surf with waves of 15-20 feet astatine section beaches, flooding of roads and neighborhoods and rip currents on the Outer Banks, officials successful immoderate counties announced evacuation orders implicit the weekend.

Hyde County declared a section authorities of exigency for Ocracoke Island, and a mandatory evacuation bid was issued for visitors connected Sunday nighttime and for residents connected Tuesday morning.

Dare County besides declared a authorities of exigency and ordered the evacuation of Hatteras Island, which includes the communities of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. Visitors began to evacuate connected Monday, and residents started their evacuation connected Tuesday morning.

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Because of the danger, a Tropical Storm Watch and a Storm Surge Watch were issued for the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The Tropical Storm Watch was successful effect from Beaufort Inlet to Duck, North Carolina, including Pamlico Sound.

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A Storm Surge Watch is besides successful spot for Cape Lookout to Duck, North Carolina, arsenic the operation of a unsafe tempest surge of 2-4 feet and the tide volition origin usually adust areas adjacent the seashore to beryllium flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.

A spokesperson for Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, told FOX Weather their rescue crews conducted astir 60 h2o rescues connected Monday owed to beardown rip currents. The town has present told each beachgoers to enactment retired of the water from Tuesday done Friday arsenic Erin gets adjacent closer. 

Stay with FOX Weather for continuing sum of Hurricane Erin this week.

(FOX Weather)

"These swells are producing almighty rip currents that tin make highly hazardous swimming conditions," said Sam Proffitt, manager of Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue. "The safety of our beachgoers is ever our apical priority, and we impulse everyone to travel this advisory."

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To the northbound successful New Jersey, officials person prohibited swimming and different recreational h2o activities owed to monolithic waves and life-threatening rip currents.

Swimming, mobile sport sportfishing conveyance entree and different programs person been suspended astatine Island Beach State Park done astatine slightest Thursday owed to the hazardous h2o conditions.

In Wildwood, swimming was prohibited connected each section beaches owed to the unsafe surf conditions.

"The Wildwood Beach Patrol advises everyone to enactment retired of the h2o and to heed each warnings," the constabulary section said. "This regularisation includes after-hours, erstwhile lifeguards are off-duty."

The Margate City Beach Patrol has besides prohibited swimming and bathing until further notice.

"We bash not urge surfing and kayaking astatine this time," officials said. "Any surfers and kayakers who bash task into the h2o volition beryllium performing these activities astatine their ain risk."

The Margate City Beach Patrol said that wasn’t a determination that they came to lightly, but their "priority is the information of our beachgoers and lifeguards."

HURRICANE ERIN THREATENS NORTH CAROLINA'S OUTER BANKS WITH ‘EXTREME BEACH AND COASTAL DAMAGE’

Where is Hurricane Erin?

Hurricane Erin has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph with immoderate higher gusts, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that immoderate fluctuations successful spot are imaginable implicit the adjacent fewer days.

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified past week, going from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph successful a substance of hours. 

At the time, it was a tiny, compact storm, but that’s nary longer the case.

"Erin is simply a ample hurricane and volition proceed to turn successful size," the NHC said. "Hurricane-force winds widen outward up to 80 miles from the halfway and tropical-storm-force winds widen outward up to 205 miles."

Hurricane Erin is located astir 750 miles to the south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is moving disconnected to the northwest astatine 7 mph.

The NHC said a crook toward the north-northwest with an summation successful guardant velocity is expected connected Tuesday, followed by a northward question connected Wednesday and past a northeastward question connected Thursday.

On that track, the halfway of Hurricane Erin is expected to walk to the eastbound of the Bahamas connected Tuesday and Tuesday night, and past determination implicit the occidental Atlantic betwixt the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda connected Wednesday and Thursday.