Island communities off the coast of North Carolina are bracing for flooding ahead of Hurricane Erin, the year’s first Atlantic hurricane.

The center of Hurricane Erin is expected to remain offshore, but forecasters expect eastern North Carolina to see coastal flooding, tropical-storm-force winds, overwash and beach erosion.

Parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks are under mandatory evacuation orders, as the National Hurricane Center warns that Hurricane Erin could bring tall waves topping 15 to 20 feet.

OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. – Hurricane Erin continues to churn as the Category 4 storm moves across the Atlantic Ocean, prompting some areas along North Carolina's Outer Banks to begin evacuations. Images shared by the North Carolina Ferry System on Monday ...

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm again Monday morning and is expected to grow even larger and stronger, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Although Erin is forecast to move north between the U.S. and Bermuda, life-threatening surf and rip currents are likely across the Atlantic coast from Florida to Canada.

Erin is officially the first hurricane of the 2025 season. Maximum sustained winds of 75 mph were recorded Friday, Aug. 15, as the storm continues to move west-northwest near 18 mph. Wind speeds are expected to strengthen, and the hurricane will likely become a major hurricane over the weekend.

Hurricane Erin is still headed north, slowly powering up the Atlantic. While on average a hurricane moves at 15 to 20 mph, Erin, a Category 4 storm, has been moving at 10 mph, sometimes slower, according to the National Hurricane Center.