Walls of water 30 feet high churned up by Hurricane Erin. See NOAA buoy photos
Thirty-foot waves have been reported by NOAA buoys 60 miles from the eye of the storm, which is equivalent to a three-story building racing across the ocean.
The waves are being driven by sustained winds of 100 mph, with even higher gusts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported on Aug. 20.
Multiple parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks have been evacuated as the storm nears the fragile barrier islands, due to predictions of 'life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline.'
The eye will not make landfall in the U.S., but the U.S. Geological Survey predicts'water levels could be 10 feet (3 meters) above Mean Sea Level' in Outer Banks areas like Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, according to an Aug. 18 news release.
The storm was moving north/northwest at around 13 mph early Wednesday, Aug. 20, NOAA reports.
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