RODANTHE, N.C. — From Florida to New England, people attempting to enjoy the final days of summer along the coast encountered rip-current warnings, beach closures, and in certain areas, perilous waves as Hurricane Erin moved nearer on Wednesday.
While forecasters remain assured that the core of the massive storm will remain far offshore, the outer bands are predicted to bring high winds, significant swells, and hazardous rip currents through to Friday. However, the tallest swells along the East Coast could arrive as early as Wednesday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, New York City shut its beaches to swimming, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul instructed three state beaches on Long Island to restrict swimming until Thursday. In New Jersey, some beaches will temporarily close, while certain towns in Delaware have blocked ocean access.
In Massachusetts, Nantucket Island might experience waves exceeding 10 feet (3 meters) this week. However, the greatest danger lies along the barrier islands of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where evacuations have been ordered.
RELATED: New Jersey officials warn swimmers about rip currents caused by Hurricane Erin
Erin has grown into an unusually large and deceptively dangerous storm, with tropical storm winds extending 230 miles (370 kilometers) from its center. Forecasters anticipate it will increase in size as it progresses through the Atlantic and veers northward.
On Tuesday, it battered the Turks and Caicos Islands, where government services were halted and residents were instructed to stay indoors, as well as parts of the Bahamas, before its anticipated turn towards Bermuda.
Tropical storm watches were issued for Virginia and North Carolina, as well as Bermuda.
Erin lost some strength from previous days and was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 100 mph (155 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was about 495 miles (795 kilometers) south-southeast of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras.
On the Outer Banks, Erin’s storm surge could swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Mandatory evacuations were ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. More than 1,800 people had left Ocracoke by ferry since Monday.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned coastal residents to be prepared to evacuate and declared a state of emergency Tuesday. Bulldozers shored up the dunes, and trucks from the local power company on Ocracoke were on hand to respond to downed wires.
Some side roads already saw some flooding on Hatteras, and the owners of a pier removed a few planks, hoping the storm surge would pass through without tearing it up.
Most residents decided to stay even though memories are still fresh of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when 7 feet (2.1 meters) of water swamped Ocracoke, county commissioner Randal Mathews said.
Where is Hurricane Erin as of Wednesday’s 5 a.m. update?
Tom Newsom, who runs fishing charters on Hatteras, said has lived there almost 40 years and never evacuated. He was not going to this time either.
Comparing this hurricane to others he has seen, he called this one a “nor’easter on steroids.”
The Outer Banks’ thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands jutting into the Atlantic are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. There are concerns that parts of the main highway could be washed out, leaving some routes impassible for days. And dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic beach erosion and the loss of protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Farther south, no evacuations were ordered but some beach access points were closed with water levels up to 3 feet (1 meter) over normal high tides expected for several days.
Climate scientists say Atlantic hurricanes are now much more likely to rapidly intensify into powerful and catastrophic storms fueled by warmer oceans. Two years ago Hurricane Lee grew with surprising speed while barreling offshore through the Atlantic, unleashing violent storms and rip currents.
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