Tropical storm warnings and storm surge warnings were issued in North Carolina and have extended north to the Virginia border as Hurricane Erin is expected to bring “life-threatening” surf and rip currents along much of the East Coast this week, forecasters say.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the rough surf conditions from the Category 2 storm could affect the Bahamas, Bermuda and beaches up and down the East Coast over the next several days. “Beachgoers are cautioned against swimming at most U.S. East Coast beaches due to life-threatening surf and rip currents,” the hurricane center said.
Officials in North Carolina have already declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of Hatteras Island, where tropical storm conditions and the possibility of life-threatening inundation of water from Erin are expected to have an impact on the barrier islands.
Erin formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean last week, officially reaching hurricane status on Friday. It is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season.
Where is Hurricane Erin now, and what is its path?
As of 8 a.m. ET Wednesday:
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Erin was located 560 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and about 400 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
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The storm has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, making it a Category 2 storm.
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It is moving northwest at 13 mph.
According to the NHC’s latest advisory, Erin is expected to turn toward the north and northeast today, picking up forward speed as it moves up the coast.
The computer models show that the center of the storm will move over the western Atlantic between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda and then pass south of Atlantic Canada by the weekend.
Watches and warnings
As of 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, these are the advisories in place, according to the NHC:
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for:
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Beaufort Inlet, N.C., to the North Carolina-Virginia border, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.
Tropical storm watches are in effect for:
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The North Carolina-Virginia border to Chincoteague, Va.
A storm surge warning is in effect for:
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Cape Lookout to Duck, N.C.
What those watches and warnings mean
A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, over the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. In North Carolina, 2 to 4 feet of storm surge is possible from Lookout to Duck. And up to 3 feet of storm surge is possible from South Santee River, S.C., to Cape May, N.J.
Up to 4 feet of storm surge is possible in North Carolina. (National Hurricane Center)
Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the Outer Banks starting late Wednesday and possibly along the Atlantic coast of Virginia and Bermuda starting Thursday.
Heavy rainfall is possible on the Outer Banks Wednesday night into Thursday, with the potential for 1 to 2 inches.
Though Erin is not expected to make direct landfall, swells generated by the storm will affect the Bahamas, Bermuda, the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada during the next several days.
“These rough ocean conditions are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents,” the NHC said.
What are the chances Erin will intensify?
Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, ranging from Category 1 to Category 5, with 5 being the most severe. A storm is considered a major hurricane when it reaches Category 3 strength, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Erin reached Category 4 strength on Saturday and again on Monday before weakening on Tuesday. It is currently a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.
“Some strengthening is possible during the next day or so,” the NHC said. “Weakening is likely to begin by Friday, but Erin is forecast to remain a hurricane into the weekend.”
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles.
How is hurricane season shaping up?
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through the end of November, has a 50% chance of being above normal.
Earlier this month, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration slightly updated the number of expected storms to 13 to 18 (estimated at 13 to 19 in May), of which up to five could become major hurricanes (with winds of more than 111 mph).
A typical hurricane season averages 14 named storms. We’re currently about halfway through this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, and as of Aug. 15, there have been five so far: tropical storms Andrea, Barry, Chantal and Dexter, and now Hurricane Erin.
