- Outer bands reach North Carolina’s Outer Banks late Wednesday, Aug. 20; conditions worsen into tonight.
- Storm Surge Warning: Cape Lookout to Duck (2–4 ft possible). Tropical Storm Warning: Beaufort Inlet to the NC/VA border, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. Watch extends north to Chincoteague and for Bermuda.
- Erin’s max sustained winds near 100 mph; life-threatening surf and rip currents along much of the U.S. East Coast.
The Big Picture
As of 8:00 a.m. EDT Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Hurricane Erin was centered near 29.6°N, 73.7°W—about 400 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras—with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. The National Hurricane Center said Erin will turn north to north-northeast today, then accelerate northeast to east-northeast Thursday and Friday, tracking between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda before passing south of Atlantic Canada into the weekend.
What’s New
Warnings remain in effect for North Carolina’s Outer Banks, including a Storm Surge Warning from Cape Lookout to Duck. A Tropical Storm Warning runs from Beaufort Inlet to the North Carolina–Virginia border, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. A Tropical Storm Watch extends north of the NC/VA border to Chincoteague, Virginia, and for Bermuda. Tropical-storm conditions are expected over parts of the Outer Banks late today or tonight, possible along Virginia’s coast Thursday, and possible on Bermuda Thursday into Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Erin is a large hurricane: hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the center; tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 265 miles. Some strengthening is possible through today. Weakening likely begins Friday, but Erin is forecast to remain a hurricane into the weekend.
What They’re Saying
Context
At advisory time, Erin was about 560 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and roughly 400 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving north-northwest at 13 mph with a minimum central pressure of 948 mb. The storm’s broad wind field and long-period swells will affect the Bahamas, Bermuda, the U.S. East Coast, and Atlantic Canada for several days. For North Carolina’s Outer Banks, 1–2 inches of rain is possible from this afternoon into Thursday. The surge threat is highest along the immediate coast where large, dangerous waves can compound inundation, especially near high tide.
What’s Next
A turn toward the north and north-northeast is expected today and tonight, followed by a faster motion toward the northeast and east-northeast Thursday and Friday. Tropical-storm conditions reach parts of the Outer Banks late today or tonight, spread toward coastal Virginia Thursday, and may impact Bermuda Thursday into Friday. Residents in warning and watch areas should monitor local National Weather Service products and heed guidance from emergency managers.
The Bottom Line
Erin stays offshore but close enough to push dangerous surf, rip currents, and coastal flooding into North Carolina’s Outer Banks starting tonight. Prepare for tropical-storm conditions where warnings are in effect, and avoid the water along the Mid-Atlantic and much of the East Coast until seas subside.
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