Hurricane Erin to bring erosion, dangerous surf and waves along NC coast: State of emergency

Tuesday, August 19, 2025 4:38AM

The ABC11 First Alert Weather team is continuing to track Erin, which strengthened into a hurricane Friday, and intensified into a major storm over the weekend.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 First Alert Weather team is continuing to track Erin, which strengthened into a hurricane Friday, and intensified into a major storm during the weekend.

Erin is expected to stay offshore but will make its closest approach to the NC coast around Wednesday or Thursday. As of right now, impacts are limited in the Triangle.

At 11 p.m., the storm maintained winds of 125 mph and was moving northwest at 8 mph.

Gusty winds and flooding tides could wash out parts of the highway that connects the North Carolina Outer Banks by midweek, the National Weather Service said. State route NC-12 will likely be heavily damaged from life-threatening, heavy surf of 15-20 feet and strong coastal erosion.

Dozens of rip current rescues were conducted Monday at Wrightsville Beach in Wilmington. The town has issued a no-swimming recommendation through Friday of this week.

NC Emergency Management

State emergency management staff say they are preparing for the impacts of Hurricane Erin along the coast. Forecasts have signaled a possible impact to the Outer Banks beginning as early as Tuesday. The State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, as well as the Eastern Regional Coordination Center, are staffed and monitoring the situation.

"The State Emergency Response Team is poised and ready to respond to any needs from our local communities this week," said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray. "As forecasted impacts become clearer, we will plan for the pre-positioning of any necessary resources for rapid deployment along our coast. In the meantime, all visitors and residents along the coast should follow the instructions of local emergency management officials to keep you and your family safe," he added.

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With current forecasts showing the potential for tropical storm force winds, dangerous surf with waves of 15-20 feet, inundation to roadways and neighborhoods, and rip current along the Outer Banks, local emergency management officials in Dare and Hyde County announced evacuation orders this weekend.

Hyde County has enacted a local State of Emergency for Ocracoke Island.

Dare County has declared a local State of Emergency and has implemented a mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island, which includes the communities of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras.

Officials in Dare County issued a local state of emergency on Sunday, and issued a mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island.

The evacuations started Monday morning for visitors and will start Tuesday morning for people how live in the area. Dare County Emergency Management held a news conference to remind visitors and people who live in the area to heed the warnings.

Watch the full video here

County leaders said that although the storm is expected to stay off the coast of North Carolina, the system is expected to increase in size and is forecast to bring life-threatening impacts to the county's coastline.

Hyde County officials have also enacted a state of emergency and mandatory evacuation for Ocracoke Island due to anticipated flooding impacts from the storm.

Tracking Erin

The setup for Tuesday and Wednesday will depend on the exact speed, location, and intensity of Erin as it swirls between the Outer Banks and Bermuda.

Beachfront homes are also at risk due to the high probability of beach erosion. Waves will still be high outside of that timeframe, but they will peak during it. It's not out of the question that gusty winds over 40 mph.