Hurricane Erin Swells in Atlantic, Forcing Evacuations and Closing US East Coast Beaches

Beaches along the US East Coast are being shut down as Hurricane Erin, a massive storm swirling northward in the Atlantic, threatens dangerous rip currents from Florida to New England.

The storm, which battered Puerto Rico with flooding rains earlier this week, has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane but still packs sustained winds of 105 mph (168 km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Meteorologists warn Erin is unusually large, with tropical storm-force winds stretching 230 miles from its core and it is expected to expand further as it tracks between Bermuda and the US coastline on Wednesday and Thursday.

In North Carolina, the popular tourist strip of the Outer Banks is preparing for the worst. Officials ordered mandatory evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands amid fears that the only highway linking them could be washed out.

Waves as high as 15 feet (4.6m) and “life-threatening inundation from coastal flooding” are possible from Wednesday, the NHC said, warning some roadways could remain underwater for days.

Already, the storm’s churning surf has proven dangerous. At Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, at least 60 swimmers had to be rescued from powerful rip currents on Monday alone.

While Erin is not expected to make landfall in the continental US, forecasters caution that its impacts will be felt widely from beach closures and flooding along the coast to travel disruptions and dangerous marine conditions stretching deep into the Atlantic.