Additionally, 1 to 2 inches of rain could hit the Outer Banks on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Weather conditions expected to deteriorate along the coast of North Carolina by this evening,” the hurricane center said. “Beachgoers are cautioned against swimming at most U.S. East Coast beaches due to life-threatening rip currents.”
Video from North Carolina shows major waves rolling onto land, flooding roads and beachfront homes.
There were 4 to 5 inches of standing water north of Hatteras Village as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Crews were working to build dunes in the area.
Swells caused by the hurricane will affect the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the east coast of the U.S. over the next several days, with rough oceans expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents, the hurricane center said.
“Hurricane Erin is already creating extremely dangerous and life threatening rip currents for all of the North Carolina coast that will linger through the week,” Ray said. “We’ve seen a high number of rescues along the coast, and you should avoid swimming anywhere on the North Carolina coast right now.”
Evacuation orders have been implemented for Dare and Hyde counties in North Carolina with shelters and recovery centers open across the state, Ray said. North Carolina has requested major disaster declaration for public assistance from the federal government, which would provide additional recovery resources to those impacted, Ray added.
“If you have not evacuated, make sure you batten down the hatches,” Stein said Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville, Florida, also warned of dangerous surf conditions and rip tides on Wednesday.
“Dangerous Marine & Surf Conditions worsen today as waves & winds increase. Deadly rip currents, high surf & minor tidal flooding around high tide this evening at the coast,” the NWS said on X. “Stay out of the ocean!”
Other states this week have similarly issued warnings to stay out of the ocean, including in New Jersey and New York, as beaches in North Carolina already reported several rip current rescues on Tuesday.
“We are hyper, hyper concerned, first and foremost about complacency, particularly when the weather is really good Thursday afternoon through Sunday, in terms of people sort of thinking about going in the water because these rip currents are brutal,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “Please, don’t go into the water.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday prohibited swimming at Long Island beaches because of the swells that are expected in the area. Swimming at New York City beaches is also barred on Wednesday and Thursday.
Coastal towns such as Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Wildwood, New Jersey, have issued no-swimming advisories for the week.
Rip currents were observed on Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Wilmington said on X. The agency warned of “dangerous rips & rough surf” that will continue through Friday.
Beach closures moved north on Wednesday, with Nantucket Island in Massachusetts issuing a no-swim advisory. The area is expecting surf up to 12 feet on Wednesday and 25 feet on Thursday.
Stein on Wednesday warned against getting news about Hurricane Erin from social media as AI misinformation floods channels.
“It is just too easy for salacious, really dramatic stories to take root and then and spread like wildfire, even in a hurricane, because that’s what people click on,” Stein said. “If you see something on social media that sparks your interest, just go to a traditional website or news source and find out whether it’s true.”
