Hurricane Erin's waves lash N.C.: Nearly 40M under coastal flood alerts
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Hurricane Erin is expected to bring high surf to the New Jersey and New York coastal communities, and multiple beaches throughout the area have been closed as of Wednesday, including in Surf City, Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Editor's note: Read the latest on Hurricane Erin here.
Hurricane Erin was bringing tropical storm conditions at or near portions of North Carolina's coast on Wednesday night — as the "large" storm's outer bands brushed the N.C. Outer Banks, forcing officials to close a section of highway.
The big picture: The National Hurricane Center warned U.S. East Coast beachgoers on Wednesday against swimming at most beaches due to "life-threatening surf and currents," while the Outer Banks region was also under threat from "life-threatening" surge flooding and tropical conditions.
- Many East Coast beaches have already closed in preparation for the storm and North Carolina is under a state of emergency. Evacuation orders were in effect for Dare and Hyde counties.
- Some 7.7 million people were under coastal flood warnings and nearly 32 million others under coastal flood advisories along the East Coast on Wednesday night, per the National Weather Service.
Threat level: A storm surge warning was in effect for Cape Lookout to Duck, North Carolina, and a tropical storm warning was in effect for North Carolina's Beaufort Inlet to Chincoteague, Virginia, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.
- While the now-Category 2 hurricane was not forecast to make landfall in the U.S., forecasters warn much of the East Coast is under threat from the large storm's hurricane-force winds, which the NHC noted in an 11pm Wednesday ET advisory extended outward up to 105 miles from the center. Its tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 265 miles.
- Other areas facing the dangerous conditions include beaches of the Bahamas, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada, and tropical storm conditions are expected Thursday on the Virginia coast, according to the NHC.
- Coastal flood warnings were in effect for the Atlantic coast of Maryland, Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina, and along the bay south of the York River, the NWS' Wakefield, Virginia, office said on X on Wednesday evening.
What they're saying: NHC director Mike Brennan said just after 8pm Wednesday ET that forecasters were starting to see Erin's outer rain bands move in just offshore of North Carolina. Conditions were expected to "quickly deteriorate" over the next several hours and into the overnight, he said.
- There's a "broad risk of dangerous surf and rip current conditions" along the entire U.S. East Coast due to Erin's size, "all the way from Florida up through New England," Brennan said.
- The biggest threat of storm surge was at high tide along the Atlantic coast, but Brennan noted there would be high water levels and "damaging wave action" over the next several tide cycles.
- The Outer Banks could see 2-4 feet of inundation, with the potential for flooding, washed-out roads, dune breaches and overwash, according to Brennan.
State of play: Hurricane Erin has fluctuated in size since peaking as a Category 5 storm on Saturday. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph with higher gusts some 215 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., at 11pm Wednesday ET.
- "Some slight strengthening is possible tonight and Thursday morning, and Erin could become a major hurricane again during that time," the NHC said in its forecast discussion.
- "Weakening is likely to begin Thursday night or Friday, but Erin is forecast to remain a hurricane into the weekend."
Between the lines: Research shows that climate change is increasing hurricane wind speeds, and Hurricane Erin's rapid intensification over unusually warm waters — conditions data show are up to 100 times more likely because of climate change — illustrates this effect.
Go deeper: N.C., Virginia under Hurricane Erin storm alerts, some East Coast beaches shut
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say Wednesday's 11pm ET advisory said northeastern North Carolina was under a tropical storm warning (not Nebraska).
