Hurricane Erin Pulls Away From U.S. East Coast But Continues To Pose Major Dangers

Hurricane Erin is beginning to veer away from the United States, but forecasters warn the massive storm is still creating hazardous conditions along more than 1,000 miles of the East Coast.

The hurricane has disrupted coastal areas all week, with North Carolina’s Outer Banks hit particularly hard despite the storm never making landfall. Erin has produced powerful rip currents, rough surf, and ongoing coastal flooding that could last through Friday.

On Wednesday night, Erin passed within 200 miles of the Outer Banks, unleashing flooding that damaged beaches and forced the closure of parts of Highway 12, the vital road linking the barrier islands.

Early Thursday, the storm began its northeast turn away from U.S. shores, and it is expected to pick up speed as it moves farther out into the Atlantic.

Erin, currently a Category 2 hurricane, was still tracking parallel to the East Coast Thursday, with tropical-storm-force winds extending nearly 575 miles across, larger than 90% of storms of similar strength in the region, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Marine warnings from the National Weather Service stretched from Florida to Maine as the storm churned up dangerous seas. Tropical storm warnings remained in effect for portions of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. The Outer Banks experienced 40–50 mph gusts early Thursday, while coastal Virginia and Maryland saw winds near 45 mph.

Flooding concerns are not over. Forecasters said the most severe flooding in the Outer Banks could arrive during Thursday evening’s high tide. As Erin pushes north, flood risks will increase in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with areas like southern New Jersey and Delaware bracing for major coastal flooding.

Rip currents remain a serious hazard. More than 70 people have already been rescued from rips in North Carolina this week. “Some of these rips are pulling six to eight people out at a time,”  Wrightsville Beach ocean rescue director Sam Proffitt told CNN, calling the currents “very strong” and “dangerous.”

North Carolina is still under a state of emergency after massive waves battered the coast, flooding homes and businesses and prompting evacuations on Ocracoke and Hatteras islands. The state’s ferry system evacuated more than 2,200 people and 1,100 cars from Ocracoke on Wednesday alone.

Transportation crews are working to clear the highway, but officials said there was no estimate on when it could reopen.

Forecasters expect Erin to weaken as it heads into the northern Atlantic this weekend. By Sunday, it could be downgraded to a tropical storm.