Hurricane Erin, now a sprawling Category 2 storm offshore, is generating towering waves, life-threatening rip currents, and coastal flooding from North Carolina to New York, prompting widespread evacuations and beach closures.
At a Glance
- Erin has swelled to a width comparable to Texas, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 90 mi and tropical-storm-force winds reaching 265 mi from its center.
- North Carolina has declared a state of emergency; evacuations are under way on the Outer Banks, with over 2,200 people already removed from Ocracoke Island.
- Beaches along the East Coast—including New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City—are closed due to dangerous surf, storm surge, and rip currents.
- Waves of 15 to 20 feet and up to 4 feet of storm surge are expected to batter parts of the coast despite the storm remaining offshore.
- Iconic Banker wild horses on the Outer Banks are expected to survive by instinctively clustering and seeking higher ground.
Erin’s Expanding Danger Zone
Though the center of Hurricane Erin remains offshore, its vast wind field and storm surge menace the entire U.S. Eastern Seaboard. With hurricane-force winds extending roughly 90 mi and tropical-storm-force winds up to 265 mi from its eye, the storm’s reach now rivals the width of Texas. Over 2,200 people have already been evacuated from Ocracoke Island, and mandatory evacuations continue across Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands in North Carolina.
Watch now: Hurricane Erin triggers large waves, rip currents across East Coast · CBS News
Beaches Closed, Rip Currents Raging
From Cape May, New Jersey up through New York City—including all of NYC’s public beaches—authorities have shuttered beaches and banned swimming. The warnings extend far beyond: high surf and dangerous rip currents are forcing closures and advisories from New Jersey to Florida, driven by wave heights up to 20 feet. In Delaware and New Jersey, waves are forecast to climb from 5–8 feet on Wednesday to as high as 12 feet by Thursday, with significant coastal flooding and erosion concerns.
Surges, Swells, and Impacted Infrastructure
Storm surges of up to 4 feet are expected in North Carolina, particularly along the Outer Banks, where flooding and beach erosion threaten infrastructures such as Highway 12. The continuing threat also extends north, where moderate coastal flooding may impact South Carolina and parts of the Mid-Atlantic from Thursday into Friday.
Natural Resilience on the Outer Banks
Interestingly, the famed wild banker horses of North Carolina’s barrier islands are expected to fare well. Wildlife experts note these horses instinctively gather, back to the wind, and seek higher ground beneath sturdy live oak trees—behavior that has historically enabled their survival through past storms.
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