Erin approaches North Carolina coast with dangerous rip currents, Outer Banks evacuations

NAGS HEAD, N.C. (WTVD) — Hurricane Erin, as it moves closer to the North Carolina coast on Tuesday, threatens to whip up wild waves and tropical-force winds.

The monster storm, now a Category 2 with sustained winds of 110 mph, is expected to stay offshore but will make its closest approach to the coast around Wednesday or Thursday. As of now, impacts are limited in the Triangle.

Evacuations were ordered along the Outer Banks as authorities warned that the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents and swamp roads with waves up to 15 feet (4.6 meters). A Storm Surge Warning and Tropical Storm Warning are in effect for the Outer Banks and parts of the NC coast.

NC coast braces for Erin

Forecasts have signaled a possible impact to the Outer Banks beginning as early as Tuesday. The State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, as well as the Eastern Regional Coordination Center, are staffed and monitoring the situation.

Erin lashed parts of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday. Forecasters are confident it will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of the Outer Banks.

Officials at Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, reported rescuing at least 60 swimmers from rip currents on Monday.

On the Outer Banks, coastal flooding is expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday. Hyde County has enacted a local State of Emergency for Ocracoke Island. Dare County has declared a local State of Emergency and implemented a mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island, which includes the communities of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras.

By early Tuesday, Erin had lost some strength from previous days, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was about 685 miles (1,105 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and 770 miles (1,240 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at a slower 7 mph (11 kph).

The evacuations on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke came at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean and are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges.

A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore yet still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage. This time, there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds, and waves could wash out parts of the main highway, making some routes impassible for days.

This is the first evacuation for Ocracoke since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which caused the most damage in the island’s recorded history.

Tommy Hutcherson, who owns the community’s only grocery store, told the Associated Press that the island has mostly bounced back. He’s optimistic this storm won’t be as destructive.

“But you just never know. I felt the same way about Dorian, and we really got smacked,” he said.

Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.