Hurricane Erin set to bring deadly waves to NY, NJ — as it powers through Atlantic
The warnings extend from Georgia all the way to Atlantic Canada, and forecasters predicted waves up to 20 feet high in some areas as the hurricane continues its slow-moving trip north — despite the storm being hundreds of miles from shore.
Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 season, weakened from a Category 4 behemoth to a Category 2 overnight but is still ripping sustained gusts of more than 100 miles per hour on Tuesday, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
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But what it's lost in steam, it will gain in size, forecasters said.
'While you may be seeing that the hurricane is weakening … the storm is still going to be a very large storm once it gets further north,' Fox Weather Meteorologist Cody Braud told The Post.
'As it moves north it's going to expand its wind field in size and as that happens you get more energy being dispersed toward the coast in the form of waves,' he said.
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3 Homes along the Atlantic Coast in Dare County, N.C. ahead of expected impacts from Hurricane Erin.
AP
'That's why the intensity is not really the key factor in this story. It's more about the very large size of Erin, and as it's moving north it's growing in size, sending out more waves as the waves are getting bigger and all of these waves are going to go somewhere, and they are going to be slamming into the East Coast,' Braud said.
The brunt of the storm will be felt on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where a tropical storm warning has been declared and vacationers were ordered to evacuate the barrier islands. A tropical storm warning has also been issued for parts of Virginia.
Tropical storm warnings have not been declared north of Virginia, but officials have warned of rip currents, immense waves, storm surge and flooding as it gets closest to the coast on Wednesday through Friday — about 200 to 300 miles offshore, Braud said.
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'Thankfully, there's no chance the system itself making a direct landfall, but we will kind of get the indirect effects of it as it kind of moves in parallel to the East Coast,' he said.
3 Hurricane Erin weakened from a Category 4 to Category 2 storm overnight Monday.
AP
Waves in off the tri-state area and further north likely won't reach the 20-25 foot monsters possible off North Carolina but 'it all really depends on how close the storm actually gets,' Braud said.
If the storm remains far enough off the coast, it's very likely New Yorkers would not even notice any strange weather unless they went down to the beach and saw the raging ocean, he said.
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But on the coast, the danger from waves and currents will be so severe that Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday that all city beaches will be closed to swimmers Wednesday and Thursday.
Beaches themselves will remain open, but anybody caught trying to swim, surf or do anything else in the waves will be be booted by life guards and park officers.
Several New Jersey beaches were put under similar restrictions, with Gov. Phil Murphy urging residents to stay out of the water.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday afternoon that a High Surf Advisory is in effect Wednesday through Thursday for all Atlantic Ocean beaches in the state and will likely need to be extended.
'As Hurricane Erin passes the East Coast, I am asking all New Yorkers to prepare for the possibility of dangerous conditions along our beaches and coastal cities and towns,' Hochul said in a statement. 'New Yorkers are no strangers to hurricanes — that is why I'm urging those living in areas that may be impacted to stay safe and exercise caution until the hurricane tapers off later this week.'
The storm is currently about 650 miles southwest of Bermuda, with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour.
3 Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for part of the Outer Banks.
AP
The hurricane force winds extend from the eye up to 80 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 205 miles from the center.cl
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The storm continues to move northwest at a slow pace of just 9 mph, but is expected to turn north and out to sea by the end of the week.
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Chicago Tribune
13 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin
RODANTHE, N.C. — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy the last hurrahs of summer along the coast were met with rip current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inched closer Wednesday. While forecasters remain confident that the center of the monster storm will stay far offshore, the outer edges are expected to bring high winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents into Friday. Life-threatening surf and 100 mph winds will lash the East Coast, National Weather Service forecasters warned Wednesday. New York City closed its beaches to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered three state beaches on Long Island to prohibit swimming through Thursday. Several New Jersey beaches also will be temporarily off-limits, while some towns in Delaware have cut off ocean access. Off Massachusetts, Nantucket Island could see waves of more than 10 feet later this week. But the biggest threat is along the barrier islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks, where evacuations have been ordered. Erin has become an unusually large and deceptively worrisome storm, with its tropical storm winds stretching 265 miles from its core. Forecasters expect it will grow larger in size as it moves through the Atlantic and curls north. On Tuesday it lashed the Turks and Caicos Islands, where government services were suspended and residents were ordered to stay home, along with parts of the Bahamas before its expected turn toward Bermuda. Tropical storm watches were issued for Virginia and North Carolina as well as Bermuda. Erin lost some strength from previous days and was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 100 mph (155 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was about 400 miles south-southeast of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras. On the Outer Banks, Erin's storm surge could swamp roads with waves of 15 feet. Mandatory evacuations were ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. More than 1,800 people had left Ocracoke by ferry since Monday. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned coastal residents to be prepared to evacuate and declared a state of emergency Tuesday. Bulldozers shored up the dunes, and trucks from the local power company on Ocracoke were on hand to respond to downed wires. Some side roads already saw some flooding on Hatteras, and the owners of a pier removed a few planks, hoping the storm surge would pass through without tearing it up. Most residents decided to stay even though memories are still fresh of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when 7 feet of water swamped Ocracoke, county commissioner Randal Mathews said. Tom Newsom, who runs fishing charters on Hatteras, said has lived there almost 40 years and never evacuated. He was not going to this time either. Comparing this hurricane to others he has seen, he called this one a 'nor'easter on steroids.' The Outer Banks' thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands jutting into the Atlantic are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. There are concerns that parts of the main highway could be washed out, leaving some routes impassible for days. And dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic beach erosion and the loss of protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Farther south, no evacuations were ordered but some beach access points were closed with water levels up to 3 feet (1 meter) over normal high tides expected for several days. Climate scientists say Atlantic hurricanes are now much more likely to rapidly intensify into powerful and catastrophic storms fueled by warmer oceans. Two years ago Hurricane Lee grew with surprising speed while barreling offshore through the Atlantic, unleashing violent storms and rip currents.
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Outer Banks braces for 'sadness and devastation' as Hurricane Erin roars by
The sandy, vulnerable barrier islands on North Carolina's coast may see houses swept away and a vital roadway flooded — yet again. The center of Hurricane Erin will roar past North Carolina's Outer Banks at a distance of less than 300 miles, setting up a vulnerable region for an intense battering as forecasters warn of two-story waves towering in the ocean and storm surge rushing inland that could destroy dunes, threaten beachfront houses and flood roads. The ribbon of narrow, barrier islands is home to tens of thousands of permanent residents, but its population swells during the summer and more than 2 million people visit the region yearly. The Outer Banks' remote beaches, dunes and oceanfront houses, are among the "most dynamic natural landscapes occupied by man," U.S. Geological Survey scientists wrote in 2016. As Erin tracked north, surfers took advantage of the building swells and others evacuated along Highway 12, the sole highway that connects the Outer Banks. Officials warned the road – known to flood even during seasonal high tides – could be impassable for days. Long popular with beach dwellers and tourists for its scenic vistas and remote ambiance, the Outer Banks have more recently become known for the homes on eroded beaches that collapse into the ocean during hurricanes, winter nor'easters and other tidal events. But islanders say the videos can't convey the enormous complexities of the challenges their communities face. Connected by the highway, the islands jut out into the ocean along a narrow point of the continental shelf, making them particularly vulnerable to high water, waves and the powerful forces of the ocean. 'It probably gets the highest wave energy on the East Coast south of Nantucket and Cape Cod,' said Rob Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. 'You can capture waves from so many directions.' As the center of Erin passes about 270 miles east of Cape Hatteras, the hurricane is expected to generate large breaking waves of 8 to 20 feet in the surf zone. Those waves could be on top of a sea surging as much as 4 feet above dry ground, causing erosion and coastal flooding that could go on for days. Outer Banks native Danny Couch couldn't remember when they were last hit with 20-foot waves, but he thinks the waves might be comparable to Hurricane Isabel in 2003, a historic storm that made landfall over the North Carolina coast. Nearly a year ago to the day, Hurricane Ernesto followed a similar path, even further offshore. Within weeks, four houses collapsed. In total, six houses were lost last year in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, federally protected land which stretches for miles along the beaches of this island chain. If another house, or two or three, are lost to the sea in Erin's wake, it's sure to stir up another storm among the residents and property owners over how to address this peril from the sea. Challenges like this are "everywhere," not just on the Outer Banks, Young said. For example, he pointed to communities along the Northeast Florida coast, in Flagler and St. Johns counties, which face similar issues with abandoned homes now surrounded by water during high tide events. Systems are 'out of equilibrium with where the shoreline would naturally be," he said. 'Sought after, treasured and costly' Geologist Orrin Pilkey once wrote that barrier islands – 'the most dynamic real estate in the United States – are the most sought after, treasured and costly.' The islands that became the Outer Banks fringing the North Carolina coast first appeared 15,000 years ago, when sea levels dropped and the nation's shoreline migrated inward from the continental shelf, Young said. Couch was just a boy when he first saw a home fall into the ocean. It was 1968, said the real estate agent and former county commissioner. A few more houses collapsed in the early 1970s, Couch said. Since the 1990s, the pace of collapse has picked up. 'It's not an isolated occurrence anymore, it's the new normal," Couch said. "When you're a kid, watching with your friends, it's exciting,' he said. 'But you're watching someone's life savings headed into the ocean.' Eleven homes have collapsed within the national seashore in Rodanthe since May 2020, according to the national seashore. And it's no longer just houses that were built directly on the beach. Dare County property records show some of the now-threatened homes were originally a few houses off the beach. Erosion from both sides 'There's always been shoreline change,' but not nearly as rapid as what we've seen over the last two to three decades," Young said. "That is a result of sea level rise.' 'Changing sea levels drive shoreline change,' he said. But, he adds: 'It's really important to remember the problem is not shoreline change. The problem is us wanting to be in those places.' As the water is likely to demonstrate as Erin batters the coast, the islands face threats not only from the ocean, but also from the large bodies of water to the west, the Albemarle, Pamlico and Currituck Sounds. Water levels also are rising in those waterways. At the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, across the sounds from the barrier islands, the land bears visible markers of rising sea levels, such as remnants of a dock that mark where the edge of the land used to be, and scrubby freshwater lowlands that are transitioning to salty coastal marsh. The waterways – also subject to wind and surge – can wash over Highway 12 toward the ocean during storms and high tide events. The islands suffer erosion from both directions, according to a December report from the National Park Service over how to address the impacts of the threatened structures. In some spots, the spit of land that holds the highway can be less than 1,000 feet from sound to sea and shrinking. Officials have been trying to hold the highway in place since it was built, Young said. Protecting it is getting harder and more expensive all the time, he said. Myriad other legal and insurance issues surround decisions about when a private home can be condemned and the rights of property owners and landlords who make money on summer rentals in many of the threatened homes. The issues include debate over whether insurers should pay for a condemned home to be dismantled before it becomes a hazardous waste site with septic lines, siding and shingles washing into the ocean, and conflict over the use of rock revetments and seawalls, which some coastal scientists have concluded make the problems worse in the long run. Shoring up dunes with sand isn't always the solution to beach protection either, and has disrupted natural processes that help to sustain the islands, according to the report. Some communities find their multi-million-dollar beach renourishment projects aren't lasting as long as they'd hoped, Young said. Big storms can wash away tons of sand in a matter of hours. Local, state and federal officials have worked on remedies for decades, including multiple dredging projects and new bridges, but still they wage the battle against sand and sea. Incredible erosion Dare County, home to an estimated yearround population of an estimated 37,000, has paid for its own projects to restore sand to local beaches, Young said. But in Rodanthe, where 11 houses have collapsed in the national seashore since May 2020, he said the county turned down a request to do another beach restoration. 'We're going to have to start having conversations about where we can take a step back from the oceanfront on the Outer Banks," Young said. He makes it clear he's not suggesting the Outer Banks be abandoned. 'It's just that we need to be spending our money in the places that are actually sustainable,' he said, 'and make sure we're not wasting money on places we're going to have to walk away from anyway.' Resident and professional photographer Jenni Koontz documents the change. Through her lenses, she sees the beauty of a glassy ocean and rolling waves and 'the sadness and devastation' that can occur in just one day when rough seas arrive. Some people find it difficult to comprehend the incredible erosion that has taken place and how quickly the sand can disappear, then jump to conclusions when they see viral videos, she said. 'People don't understand the science behind the photos,' she said. She hopes that over time her photos will help bring more attention to the plight of the Outer Banks, and perhaps make a difference for its future. Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, has covered violent weather, the environment, climate change and other news for decades. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
New York Post
13 minutes ago
- New York Post
Wild video shows tidal surge swallowing homes as Hurricane Erin slams Outer Banks
Dramatic aerial footage shows storm surge flooding homes and a motel in North Carolina's Outer Banks on Aug. 19 as Hurricane Erin battered the coast. Officials ordered evacuations in Dare County, warning of life-threatening winds and rising waters.
