Hurricane Erin closes beaches, ruins end-of-summer celebrations

Published On: August 22, 2025

By John Sewer and Allen G. Breeder, Associated Press

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) As Hurricane Erin drew closer Wednesday, coastal residents attempting to enjoy the final summer surf encountered rip-current warnings, shuttered beaches, and in some cases, dangerous waves.

The outside edges of the monster storm are predicted to bring severe gusts, massive seas, and potentially fatal rip currents into Friday, even if experts are still certain that the storm’s center will remain well offshore. However, the East Coast may see the largest waves as early as Wednesday.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered three state beaches on Long Island to ban swimming until Thursday, and New York City closed its beaches to swimmers on Wednesday and Thursday.Some Delaware communities have cut off access to the water, and a number of beaches in New Jersey will also be temporarily closed.

Later this week, Nantucket Island off Massachusetts may experience waves of over ten feet. However, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where evacuations have been required, pose the greatest threat.

With its tropical storm winds extending 230 miles from its center, Erin has grown into an exceptionally large and quite concerning storm. As it travels through the Atlantic and spirals north, forecasters anticipate that it will get bigger.

Before its anticipated turn toward Bermuda, it pounded portions of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday, causing government services to be suspended and citizens to be told to stay at home.

Bermuda, North Carolina, and Virginia were all under tropical storm watches.

The National storm Center in Miami reported that Erin was a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph, having lost some of its intensity from earlier days. It was roughly 495 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Erin’s storm surge could clog roadways on the Outer Banks with 15-foot waves. The islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke were told to evacuate. Since Monday, more than 1,800 people have taken ferries out of Ocracoke.

Warmer waters have increased the likelihood that Atlantic hurricanes will quickly build into strong, destructive storms, according to climate scientists.