Hurricane Erin is not making landfall in the U.S.
Hurricane Erin has weakened to a Category 1 storm after lashing North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding, and bringing a threat of dangerous waves and potentially deadly rip currents to the East Coast.
Conditions across much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks will continue to deteriorate in the coming hours.
The next high tide is occurring across the Outer Banks region through 7:30 p.m.
Waves and surf will continue to build back into the coast and impacts are expected to increase over the next few hours.
-ABC News' Dan Peck
Hurricane Erin is marching north and is set to bring life-threatening rip currents, destructive waves, coastal flooding and possibly beach erosion to much of the East Coast. The conditions will last through Thursday before improving later on Friday and into Saturday.
Erin, now a Category 2 storm, could re-strengthen on Wednesday, potentially becoming a Category 3 hurricane as it tracks between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda over the next 12-to-24 hours. Then Erin will turn out to sea and race away from the U.S.
Erin is mostly focused on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where a tropical storm warning is in effect for wind gusts that could top 40 mph. The rough surf and large waves are ramping up along the Carolina coast Wednesday afternoon.
Some of Erin’s outer bands could bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the Outer Banks, as well. The storm surge in the Outer Banks could reach 2 to 4 feet.
Coastal flood alerts are also in effect along a large swath of the East Coast.
As Erin’s wind field continues to expand, the storm is fueling widespread, destructive surf conditions and dangerous rip currents along the coast from Florida to New York. The risk for the East Coast will last until the end of the week, prompting many beaches to ban swimming.
High surf advisories are also in effect from Florida to Maine. Waves up to 10 to 20 feet are possible along the Outer Banks and waves could reach 15 feet in the Northeast.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
More than 2,000 people have evacuated by ferry from Ocracoke Island, part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, following mandatory evacuation orders due to Hurricane Erin, according to the governor’s office.
Ferry service "will continue as long as the weather holds," the governor’s office said.
On nearby Hatteras Island, the worst impacts from Hurricane Erin are expected to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday during high tide, said Hatteras Island Rescue Squad Chief Jack Scarborough.
"While we are ready, we are also concerned that with the impacts we are expected to see, we may not be able to -- with 2 to 4 feet of storm surge and large breaking waves pushing water inland over the next couple of days -- we may not be able to respond,” he said.
North Carolina is expected to face "dangerous surf, life-threatening storm surge, flooding, beach erosion, and damage to infrastructure and roadways" as Erin moves closer, Gov. Josh Stein warned on social media.
-ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway
A rip current, which flows out toward the ocean, can quickly pull a swimmer away from the shore. Rip currents usually reach a speed of 1 to 2 feet per second, but some can clock in at 8 feet per second, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Click here to learn how to spot a rip current and how to stay safe if you’re trapped in one.
