Hurricane Erin latest: Jersey Shore, Long Island brace for dangerous conditions from the storm
Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Hurricane Erin battered North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes as the monster storm inched closer to the mid-Atlantic coast.
As of the 11:00 a.m. update, Erin was located 260 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, quickly moving away from the East Coast. It is moving NNE at 18 mph.
Erin is expected to continue speeding away from the East Coast through Friday.
Hurricane-force winds extend out to 105 miles from its center and tropical-storm-force winds extend out to 320 miles from its center.
New York City closed its beaches to swimming again on 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 off-limits.
"Enjoy the shore, enjoy this beautiful weather but stay out of the water," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday.
As Erin's outer bands brushed the Outer Banks, water poured onto the main route connecting the barrier islands and a handful of stilted homes precariously perched above the beach. By Wednesday evening, officials had closed Highway 12 on Hatteras Island as the surge increased and waves rose. Ocracoke Island's connection to its ferry terminal was cut off.
More than a dozen shore communities in New Jersey have closed beaches. Red flag warnings are up, access to the sand is prohibited and even the sea gulls seem to know when Mother Nature shows this kind of intensity, it's better to stay grounded.
Erin may be hundreds of miles out to sea, but the rush of waves made the storm feel a lot closer at the Point Pleasant boardwalk. In fact, it forced the folks at Martell's Tiki Bar to take down the beach portion of the popular hangout.
In Asbury Park, some of the lifeguards were kept on the clock until 8 p.m. just in case they were needed. Chief lifeguard Joe Bongiovanni says visitors were good at obeying the red flag warning on Wednesday. They are bracing for the storm to cause even more dangerous conditions.
"We're at a new moon, so we have the exceptionally high tide because of that. Now, tomorrow (Thursday), they're talking about a tidal surge of maybe four feet when you add the height of the waves and they're talking about eight or nine foot waves on top of that. They expect the water to be coming up close to the boardwalk." he said.
The constant rain has kept the boardwalk fairly empty on Wednesday with a sparse flow of visitors trying to make the best of their vacation.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't go swimming today, so I'm shopping," Christina Ullrich said.
The state closed swimming and other activities at Island Beach State Park until further notice because of the hurricane. Other shore communities have closed beaches and put up red flags indicating swimming is not allowed.
"This is no time to be complacent. I would say to you flat out don't go in the water," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at a Tuesday morning news conference. "The fact of the matter is going into the ocean for the next number of days is something you gotta avoid."
The Monmouth County sheriff says it's not just the beaches to be wary of.
"We'll continue to monitor the power outages," said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden. "Certainly, with the wind and the rain it could add to it, but we're really concerned when we have this kind of pressure off our coast and leading to 8 or 10 foot storm surge, that high tide that we'll generally see particularly around 6 p.m. tomorrow, that's when we'll look at some roadway flooding."
All New York City beaches remain closed for swimming through Thursday, but the sand is open, and surprisingly there were a few takers at Rockaway Beach.
Some came out to admire the awesome power of Mother Nature, while others came out to surf.
"It's hard because you go out - if you can get out. The rip is strong and you're tired, and you've got to fight against it," a surfer named Michael said.
"It's like a washing machine out there. The waves are good," Robert Tilearcio, a boogie boarder, said.
Packs of city lifeguards and park rangers are roaming the shoreline to keep swimmers out.
With rain also expected into Wednesday evening, officials warned city coastal communities including southern Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island about the potential for flooding.
"When you have these kinds of storms, the riptides are not forgiving. You can enjoy the sand, but please do not venture into the water," Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa said.
Long Island is also seeing Erin's impact, and officials are warning beachgoers to stay out of the water.
Coastal flooding was already evident on Wednesday at Robert Moses beach, one of several state parks where Governor Hochul has prohibited swimming through Thursday, due to the surf conditions.
The regulars will tell you that the waves are not normal.
"They're much bigger than what we usually see and you can tell that there is a pretty strong rip tide as well," Anne Higgins, Bay Shore resident, said.
The town of Hempstead earlier this week cleared beaches, removed garbage cans, mobility mats and lifeguard stands in anticipation of rising tides and heavy surf. Waves could reach 12-16 feet along Long Island beaches on Thursday.
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