The hurricane isn’t expected to make landfall in the United States but people in North Carolina’s Outer Banks were warned of possible coastal flooding that triggered evacuation orders.
Hurricane Erin: Coastal flood advisory issued
Conditions are “expected to deteriorate along the coast of North Carolina by this evening,” the center said, adding that people “are cautioned against swimming at most US East Coast beaches due to life-threatening surf and rip currents”, CBS News reported.ALSO READ: ‘Throw it away’: US FDA issues urgent recall of ‘radioactive’ Walmart shrimp. Does it cause cancer?
Hundreds of thousands of beachgoing tourists were keeping an eye on the massive hurricane as Erin was expected to produce life-threatening conditions for the Atlantic Coast from central Florida to Canada. The National Hurricane Center urged beachgoers in those areas to follow advice from lifeguards, local authorities, and beach warning flags. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon “to assist with the response and to mobilize resources.”
Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of this year, was downgraded to a Category 2 storm Tuesday morning as it churned over the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean. It previously exploded to a Category 5 on Saturday before weakening to a Category 3 early Sunday morning, then regaining strength again later in the day. It’s forecast to retain hurricane strength into the weekend.
It was forecast to threaten the East Coast, Atlantic Canada, the Bahamas and Bermuda with “life-threatening surf and rip currents” over the next several days, according to the hurricane center.Simply put, “Swimming at most US East Coast beaches will remain dangerous over the next few days” due to those life-threatening rip currents, the center said early Wednesday. The National Weather Service advised people in the Outer Banks to stay out of the ocean to avoid deadly surf conditions expected through at least Thursday. Tropical storm conditions were forecast to arrive by Wednesday evening or night, the National Hurricane Center said.ALSO READ: $63 billion in tax relief for America’s seniors? Here’s when the new changes in Social Security will begin
“The storm surge will be accompanied by large waves, leading to significant beach erosion and overwash, making some roads impassible,” the hurricane center said in its key messages at 11 p.m. ET.
As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Erin had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and was moving north-northwest at 13 mph. The storm’s center was about 555 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and some 455 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Will Erin impact US?
Erin isn’t forecast to hit the US directly, as per CBS News.
The most dangerous conditions are forecast to hit late Wednesday into Thursday, when Erin’s center is expected to pass closest to the coast, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warn that at this time, severe flooding could swamp roads and buildings across the Outer Banks, leaving many highways submerged under several feet of water and impassable for days.
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Mandatory evacuations have already been ordered for Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island as authorities brace for the surge. Meanwhile, coastal communities along the Eastern Seaboard will contend with life-threatening rip currents and towering waves reaching 10 to more than 20 feet over the coming days.
Mike Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, cautioned that these hazardous conditions could persist across nearly the entire East Coast for much of the week. He urged residents to follow local warnings, stressing, “It’s simply not going to be a safe environment to be in the ocean.”
Tropical storm warnings are in place from north of Duck, North Carolina, to the North Carolina–Virginia border, and from Beaufort Inlet to the Virginia line, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. A tropical storm watch has also been issued from the Virginia border to Chincoteague, Virginia, as well as for Bermuda. A warning means tropical storm conditions are expected in the designated area, while a watch indicates they are possible.
