Hurricane Erin pushes massive waves onto Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, keeping rip currents and coastal flooding risks high. Image credit: Reuters
(The Post News)– Hurricane Erin is moving northeast, pulling away from North Carolina’s coast, but dangerous rip currents and flooding threats remain along the shoreline. Officials continue to warn residents and visitors to stay out of the water as conditions worsen for beachgoers.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported in its 8 a.m. advisory that coastal flooding remains a concern along North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic. The Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, was located about 210 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras early Thursday, moving north-northeast at 17 mph. Erin is expected to gradually weaken while gaining speed as it moves out to sea and passes south of Atlantic Canada this weekend.
Tropical storm warnings remain in effect from Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia, while Bermuda is under a tropical storm watch. Storm surges could raise water levels by 2 to 4 feet along the Outer Banks at the peak high tide Thursday evening. From Duck, North Carolina, to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, coastal inundation of 1 to 3 feet is possible, increasing the risk of flooding in low-lying areas.
Hurricane Erin continues to expand, with hurricane-force winds extending 105 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds reaching 320 miles. Swells are creating hazardous rip currents that the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, says will persist into early Saturday.
Earlier, Erin sent massive waves crashing over dunes and flooding parts of the Outer Banks. North Carolina declared a state of emergency and issued coastal evacuation orders. Videos verified by NBC News showed waves hitting Wrightsville Beach, while states farther north, including New Jersey and New York, also warned residents to avoid the water.
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