The outer bands of Hurricane Erin are brushing North Carolina’s Outer Banks, as beachgoers along most U.S. East Coast shores are being warned against swimming due to the risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday night.
Why It Matters
Erin is the fifth named storm and first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. Meteorologists at the NHC are also tracking two other disturbances out in the Atlantic following Erin that have a chance of cyclone formation.
What To Know
Hurricane Erin, with sustained winds of up to 110 mph, was about 245 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, moving north at 14 mph, the NHC said in an advisory at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.
“Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of the North Carolina Outer Banks and the Virginia coastline beginning in the next several hours,” the center said.
“Elsewhere along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast, wind gusts to tropical storm force are likely Thursday through early Friday. Tropical storm conditions are possible on Bermuda Thursday and Friday,” the NHC added.
The center said swells generated by Erin would affect the Bahamas, Bermuda,
the U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada over the next several days. “These rough ocean conditions are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.”
The NHC issued a warning for a storm surge of up to 4 feet for the area between Cape Lookout and Duck, North Carolina, adding that the outer bands of Erin could also dump up to 1 inch of rain on the Outer Banks late Wednesday and into Thursday.
Looking ahead, the center said it was keeping an eye on two other areas for tropical development in the Tropical Atlantic. One has a 70 percent chance of cyclone formation in the next seven days and the other a 40 percent chance.
What People Are Saying
Meteorologist James Spann posted to X on Tuesday: “Erin will pass between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast tonight and tomorrow morning… from there it accelerates into the cooler water of the North Atlantic and becomes post tropical this weekend.”
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski wrote: “The storm’s powerful winds will generate massive seas offshore. These waves will travel toward the shoreline, producing pounding surf, frequent and strong rip currents and considerable beach erosion from Florida to Maine.”
What Happens Next
The NHC issues regular updates on its website and social media channels.
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