RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin generated large waves along the mid-Atlantic coast on Thursday and began its slow movement out to sea after impacting North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and swells that caused flooding in some areas of the barrier islands.
The storm is expected to pose a continued threat of dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding into the weekend, affecting regions from the Carolinas to New England, despite forecasts indicating a gradual weakening of the storm. Hurricane Erin, which is twice the size of an average hurricane, has navigated between the East Coast and several island nations, thereby limiting its destructiveness.
Damage assessments in the Outer Banks are currently ongoing, with more flooding anticipated during high tide on Thursday evening. Fortunately, the low-lying islands appear to have avoided widespread damage from the storm's initial approach on Wednesday.
A tropical storm warning is still in effect for Bermuda, where residents and visitors have been advised to avoid the water through Friday. Additionally, the storm warning along North Carolina's coast has been updated to a storm surge warning, pointing to the threat of rising water, while the alert for Virginia's coast has been discontinued.
New York and coastal communities in New England are experiencing Erin’s impacts as gusty winds are projected to continue through early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Although beaches in New York City were closed to swimming, over a dozen surfers took to the waves at Rockaway Beach in Queens, enjoying the conditions. Local surfer Scott Klossner described the waves as thrilling but challenging due to heavy rip currents.
Waves as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters) were expected to reach Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard from deeper ocean waters on Thursday night, with high winds predicted to continue into Friday morning. Coastal erosion remains a significant concern for many beachfront communities, especially in North Carolina, where local reports indicated waves reaching up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) on Thursday morning.
The Outer Banks, which consist primarily of sand dunes rising a few feet above sea level, are particularly susceptible to storm surges that can breach the dunes, washing sand and debris onto roads and sometimes creating new inlets. The dunes have already sustained damage over the past 24 hours, and another high tide could exacerbate the situation, according to Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute.
Dare County Manager Bobby Outten reported that their biggest fear—new inlets—has not materialized so far with Erin, and no significant structural damage to homes or businesses has been noted. Overall, Outten stated, "All in all, it’s not as bad as it could have been. Hopefully the worst of it is behind us."
The Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, a volunteer group based in Buxton, reported no rescue calls from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. However, waves did breach the dunes on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, leading to road closures on parts of Highway 12, the main route in the area, and cutting off Ocracoke’s access to its ferry terminal.
At Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, where sustained winds reached 45 mph (72 kph) early Thursday, many relief-seekers were photographing the massive waves crashing against the structure amid heavy rainfall. Local resident David Alan Harvey expressed his excitement, stating, "This is nature at her best. I love this. I love these storms."
Despite the storm's fluctuations in intensity since forming nearly a week ago, Erin remains a large hurricane, currently classified as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph (160 kph) as of Thursday afternoon. The storm was approximately 420 miles (676 kilometers) east-northeast of Cape Hatteras.
The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring three tropical disturbances further out in the Atlantic. With vast stretches of warm ocean water, historically significant hurricanes known as Cape Verde storms can pose significant threats to North America.
