Hurricane Erin has strengthened back to a Category 4 storm over the Atlantic, raising concerns about life-threatening surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast this week, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
As of Monday morning, Erin’s maximum sustained winds reached 130 mph, making it a major hurricane capable of catastrophic damage if it were to make landfall. The storm’s center was located approximately 115 miles north-northeast of Grand Turk Island and about 890 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, moving northwest at 13 mph.
Erin is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. After escalating rapidly to Category 5 on Saturday, it weakened to Category 3 early Sunday before regaining intensity to Category 4 by Sunday night.
The NHC forecasts that Erin will pass east of the southeastern Bahamas and travel between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast midweek. Although no U.S. landfall is expected, the storm will generate dangerous surf conditions and rip currents that threaten beaches from northern Florida to the Outer Banks and beyond.
Shores along the East Coast can anticipate large, hazardous waves starting Monday and Tuesday with heights near 6 feet. By Wednesday, wave heights could surge to between 8 and 12 feet from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to northern Florida and up through the Outer Banks of North Carolina. These towering waves will pose extreme risks to swimmers and beachgoers.
Thursday will bring continued 8- to 12-foot waves to the Outer Banks, New Jersey, and Long Island beaches, with a gradual weakening to 6 feet by Friday as Erin moves further away from the coast.
Additionally, widespread dangerous rip currents will persist all week and likely into the weekend, attributed to the storm’s unsettled sea conditions. Lifeguards and coastal authorities are urging people to stay cautious and heed local beach warnings.
Erin also affected the Caribbean over the weekend, with outer rain bands bringing flooding to Puerto Rico and leaving over 60,000 residents without power as of Monday. Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for parts of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas, where winds could exceed 40 mph.
While Erin’s direct impact to U.S. land is not anticipated, the strong surf and rip currents it generates are expected to demand vigilance and caution across the Eastern Seaboard this week.