Hurricane Erin's life-threatening impacts prompt North Carolina evacuations, states of emergency

Monster Hurricane Erin strengthens connected travel crossed Atlantic

Hurricane Erin is continuing to fortify arsenic the tempest spins crossed the Atlantic, with officials successful North Carolina issuing immoderate mandatory evacuations owed to anticipated impacts. FOX Weather Meteorologists Britta Merwin and Craig Herrera interruption down the forecast connected Aug. 18, 2025.

HATTERAS, N.C. – Powerful Hurricane Erin restrengthened and became an highly unsafe Category 4 hurricane arsenic it continued its travel crossed the Atlantic, prompting officials successful North Carolina to contented section states of exigency and forcing residents and visitors to evacuate immoderate areas.

Hurricane Erin, which became the archetypal large hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, is nary uncertainty going to beryllium a tempest for the history books. The almighty tempest rapidly intensified implicit the weekend, going from a Category 1 hurricane to a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph successful a substance of hours.

Hurricane Erin’s outer rainbands person present started to interaction the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, wherever Tropical Storm Warnings stay successful effect. A Tropical Storm Watch was issued for the cardinal Bahamas connected Monday morning.

And portion the monster tempest volition apt enactment to the eastbound of the U.S., officials are informing of life-threatening surf and rip currents astatine beaches up and down the East Coast from Florida successful the Southeast done the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England this week.

TRACK HURRICANE ERIN: LIVE MAPS, FORECAST CONE, US EAST COAST RIP CURRENT THREAT AND SPAGHETTI MODELS

On Sunday, officials successful Dare County, North Carolina, declared a authorities of emergency and issued a mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island, including unincorporated villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.

"Now is the clip to unafraid property, finalize plans and evacuate with belongings," officials said successful a Facebook post. "Please travel instructions from officials and spot managers."

Watch: Hurricane Hunters alert into Hurricane Erin's eye

Check retired this unthinkable video shared by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron showing the unit flying into the oculus of Hurricane Erin arsenic the tempest spun crossed the Atlantic Ocean. These unsafe missions assistance to supply captious accusation to the National Hurricane Center to assistance amended forecasts.

A akin concern unfolded successful adjacent Hyde County, wherever the Board of Commissioners enacted a authorities of exigency for Ocracoke Island owed to anticipated flooding impacts from Hurricane Erin.

In addition, a mandatory evacuation bid was issued for visitors that started astatine 8 p.m. Sunday, and for residents starting astatine 6 a.m. Tuesday.

"While Hurricane Erin is expected to enactment good disconnected our coast, the strategy volition proceed to summation successful size and is forecast to bring life-threatening impacts to the Ocracoke coastline and render Highway 12 impassable," officials said successful a statement.

The National Weather Service bureau successful Newport/Morehead City issued a High Surf Advisory and Coastal Flood Watch successful beforehand of Hurricane Erin’s impacts.

The NWS said ample breaking waves of 7-12 feet are expected successful the surf zone, and "significant oceanside inundation" supra crushed level is apt successful the low-lying areas adjacent the enactment and successful tidal waterways.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

As of the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Erin has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane connected the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The NHC said that immoderate further strengthening is expected connected Monday.

"Even though immoderate weakening is forecast opening (Monday night), Erin volition stay a ample and unsafe large hurricane done the mediate of the week," the NHC wrote.

Hurricane Erin is simply a monolithic system.

The NHC said that hurricane-force winds widen outward up to 80 miles, portion tropical-storm-force winds widen outward up to 230 miles.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP

Hurricane Erin is presently located much than 900 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving disconnected to the northwest astatine 13 mph.

The NHC said that Hurricane Erin should marque a gradual crook toward the northbound aboriginal Monday and into Tuesday.

On that track, the NHC said the halfway of Hurricane Erin is expected to walk to the eastbound of the southeastern Bahamas connected Monday and determination betwixt the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda by the mediate of the week.

The outer bands from Hurricane Erin volition nutrient locally dense rainfall crossed portions of Hispaniola done Monday, and done Tuesday for the Turks and Caicos Islands and portions of the southeastern Bahamas.

Additional rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches are possible, with locally higher amounts of up to 6 inches not retired of the question.

Swells generated by Hurricane Erin volition interaction the Bahamas, Bermuda, the East Coast of the U.S. and Atlantic Canada implicit the adjacent respective days.

Those unsafe conditions volition apt origin life-threatening surf and rip currents.

A storm surge could besides origin insignificant coastal flooding successful areas of onshore winds successful the Turks and Caicos Islands and successful the southeastern Bahamas.