Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, is churning north-northwest off the East Coast, driving dangerous storm surges and forcing evacuations along North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center placed Erin 645 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras and 900 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. While the storm is expected to continue turning away from the U.S. mainland, its vast size is already impacting coastal communities. Hurricane-force winds extend 90 miles from the eye, and tropical storm-force winds reach out 265 miles.
Forecasters warn of storm surges of 1 to 3 feet from South Carolina to Virginia, and 2 to 4 feet along the Outer Banks. High tides on Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands Wednesday evening and Thursday morning are expected to push water over dunes and across stretches of N.C. 12, the critical roadway linking barrier islands.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Ocracoke Island in Hyde County and Hatteras Island in Dare County, both of which declared emergencies. Storm surge warnings are in place from Cape Lookout to Duck, while tropical storm warnings cover the coastline from Beaufort Inlet to the Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. A tropical storm watch extends north to Chincoteague, Virginia.
Rainfall totals are projected at only 1 to 2 inches along the Carolina coast, but officials stress that the greatest threat comes from coastal flooding and surge, not precipitation. Coastal South Carolina, including Charleston, will face flood risks at Wednesday evening’s high tide, with impacts moving north into Virginia and the southern Chesapeake Bay by Thursday night.
Rescues along the North Carolina coast have already spiked, with 75 to 100 swimmers pulled from rip currents earlier this week. Ferry routes to Ocracoke Island are suspended as water covers parts of N.C. 12, a familiar problem during hurricanes.
The storm’s offshore track is welcome relief compared to last year’s Hurricane Helene, which devastated North Carolina, killing 107 in the state and leaving $60 billion in damage. Erin is forecast to pass the Carolinas and Virginia by Thursday, move parallel to New England Friday, and head farther out into the Atlantic over the weekend.
