Hurricane Erin is expanding as it nears the North Carolina Coast
Meteorologist Brian Slocum has your Wednesday forecast
CAROLINA, I’M MICHAEL YOSHIDA. AND ALL EYES ARE ON THE ATLANTIC THIS WEEK AS THE FIRST MAJOR HURRICANE OF THE SEASON SWIRLS OFF OUR COAST. THAT’S RIGHT. OUR WEATHER TEAM IS HERE TRACKING THE IMPACTS OF WHEN AND WHERE WE CAN EXPECT THIS STORM TO HIT. AND, BRIAN, I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN THE CONTEXT IS THAT THIS HURRICANE IS SO HUGE IN THE CAROLINA COAST IS GOING TO SEE IMPACTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THAT STORM SURGE, POTENTIALLY. YEAH. AND IT’S ALREADY FEELING IT. AND YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND TOO, THAT THIS STORM IS MOVED INTO THE GENERAL VICINITY OF THE SOUTHEAST COAST LATE IN THE WEEKEND, SUNDAY. SO IT’S HAD SOME TIME TO REALLY WORK THIS SURF OVER AND CREATE THESE LARGE SWELLS THAT HAVE JUST EXPANDED OUT. YOU TAKE A BIG ROCK AND YOU THROW IT INTO A POND. THOSE RIPPLES SPREAD OUT AND THEY HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT ALL UP AND DOWN THE COAST. WELL, SINCE YESTERDAY, THE STORM HAS EVEN EXPANDED IN SIZE. THE WIND FIELD HAS GOTTEN A LITTLE BROADER AS WELL. THIS STORM IS 500 MILES ACROSS. THAT’S THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE WESTERN TIP OF THE STATE, ALL THE WAY TO THE OUTER BANKS. IT’S HUGE, AND IT CONTINUES TO DRAG TO THE NORTH. NOW IT’S PICKED UP SOME SPEED. THE WIND SPEEDS ARE DOWN. AT ONE POINT THIS WAS A CAT FIVE LATE IN THE WEEKEND, BUT NOW WINDS ARE DOWN TO 100MPH. THIS SATELLITE PRESENTATION SHOWING SIGNS THAT THE STORM IS GETTING STRONGER. WE HAVEN’T SEEN AN EYE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS ON THE INFRARED IMAGERY, BUT STORMS ARE REALLY SHOWING SOME GOOD CONVECTION AROUND THE CENTER OF THAT STORM. SO CAT TWO MOVING NORTH NORTHWEST AT 13. IT’S EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TURNING NORTH AND EVENTUALLY NORTHEAST OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT AS IT’S PASSING BY OUR COAST, THIS WILL BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE AGAIN. THAT WOULD ONLY INCREASE THE IMPACT, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE OUTER BANKS. THEN THE STORM SHOULD BEGIN TO ZIP OFF INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC. THE STORM’S DIRECT IMPACT TO THE COAST WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO LESSEN BY FRIDAY, BUT THE EFFECTS MAY LINGER WITH RIP CURRENTS, POSSIBLY EVEN INTO THE WEEKEND. AS FAR AS COASTAL CONDITIONS ARE CONCERNED, RIP CURRENTS HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. THE WINDS, THOUGH, OUT OF THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST, HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY LIGHT. WE ARE SEEING SOME SHOWERS NEAR THE COASTLINE. MORE INLAND. WE HAVE TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S THIS MORNING, A LIGHT BREEZE ALSO OUT OF THE NORTHEAST. IT DOES AFFECT THE CIRCULATION FOR HUNDREDS, IF NOT A THOUSAND MILES OR MORE. IN SOME CASES. OUR HIGH TEMPERATURE WITH THAT WIND HAVE GOT US DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO AROUND 84 THIS AFTERNOON. NORTHEAST WINDS AT 5 TO 10. WHAT CLOUDS WE HAVE AROUND THE MORNING SHOULD SEE MORE BREAKS TODAY THAN WE DID SEE YESTERDAY. ON TUESDAY. WE’LL CONTINUE TO WATCH OUT FOR THAT TO EAST WINDS IN THE FOOTHILLS. WE’VE SEEN MORE FOG OUT FARTHER WEST. RAIN CHANCES PRETTY LIMITED TO THE MOUNTAINS TODAY AND UP TO A 40% CHANCE FOR PASSING SHOWERS AND STORMS THERE. OUR HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE PRETTY CLOSE TO 80 DEGREES. YOU SEE, THE THINNING OF THE CLOUDS. THIS MODEL DOES WARM US UP A BIT. I’M HESITANT TO TAKE US BEYOND THE MID 80S JUST BECAUSE OF THAT NORTHEAST BREEZE. BEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS TODAY WILL BE FARTHER WEST. A COLD FRONT IS ALSO GOING TO START TO APPROACH THE AREA. THAT COULD BRING AT LEAST A FEW SHOWERS OR A STORM INTO THE TRIAD. BEST RAIN CHANCES SHOULD COME LATER TOMORROW. BY THE EVENING ALONG THAT FRONT, AND IT SHOULD WASH OUT AS IT BEGINS TO MOVE OUR WAY. TOTALLY DIFFERENT FORECAST FOR THE COAST. YOU CAN SEE ON THIS PARTICULAR MODEL A VERY HEALTHY HURRICANE ON APPROACH. THIS IS EXPECTED TO STAY AT LEAST THE CENTER A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES OFF THE COAST, BUT THOSE OUTER RAIN BANDS COULD JUST CLIP WESTERN AREAS. MAIN IMPACT WINDOW SHOULD BEGIN LATE TOMORROW INTO THURSDAY. FOR MORE ON THAT, LET’S BRING IN METEOROLOGIST DYLAN HUDLER. DYLAN, WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT LANDFALL HERE, AND I THINK THAT’S KIND OF THE FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY PEOPLE ARE GETTING. BUT THIS STILL COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ALONG OUR COAST. YEAH, COULD BE SOME BIG PROBLEMS OUT THERE ALONG THE COAST, BRIAN. AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE OUTER BANKS. WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE THIS STORM HAS WEAKENED A BIT AND COME DOWN A COUPLE CATEGORIES, OUR IMPACTS THAT WE EXPECTED THE COAST REMAIN UNCHANGED. THIS STORM DOES NOT HAVE TO MAKE LANDFALL IN ORDER TO CAUSE PROBLEMS OUT THERE. IT’S HUGE. YOU HEARD BRIAN MENTION IT’S NEARLY THE SAME WIDTH AS THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, WITH A VERY LARGE WIND FIELD. SO SOME OF THOSE TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD EXTEND OUT AS FAR AS THE OUTER BANKS AND FAR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA IN BLUE. THAT’S WHERE YOU SEE A TROPICAL STORM WARNING CONTINUES TODAY AND TOMORROW. VERY GUSTY WINDS LIKELY SOME MINOR STORM SURGE OVERWASH WASHOUTS, ROUGH SURF AND OF COURSE, THAT RIP CURRENT RISK ALONG THE COAST. WE’VE HEARD OF DOZENS AND DOZENS OF RIP CURRENT RESCUES THIS WEEK SO FAR AS ERIN IS JUST NOW APPROACHING SO DANGEROUS. SWIMMING CONDITIONS CONTINUE. IT’S BEST TO STAY OUT OF THE WATER AT THE COAST. LOOK AT THOSE WAVE HEIGHTS. HUGE STORM JUST OFF OUR COAST. NOW, WHILE THE CENTER MAY BE A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES AWAY, THAT HIGH SURF WILL REACH ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE OUTER BANKS. AND WE KNOW FOLKS OUT THERE ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE SMALL BARRIER ISLANDS. WINDS WILL ALSO PICK UP A BIT THROUGH THE DAY TODAY, TONIGHT AND THEN EARLY THURSDAY. THERE COULD BE SOME 40 50 MILE PER HOUR GUSTS OUT THERE FOR CAPE LOOKOUT, HATTERAS AND NAGS HEAD AS ERIN PASSES BY. SO THIS WILL BE AN IMPACTFUL STORM FOR THE COAST, ESPECIALLY THE OUTER BANKS. HIGH SURF, DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS, MAYBE EVEN A FEW OUTER BANDS, TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, ALL LIKELY LITTLE TO NO IMPACT EXPECTED HERE IN THE PIEDMONT. JUST A BIT OF A BREEZE TOMORROW, A FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS, POSSIBLE. COLD FRONT BRINGS SOME BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WITH HIG
Hurricane Erin is expanding as it nears the North Carolina Coast
Meteorologist Brian Slocum has your Wednesday forecast
Updated: 6:34 AM EDT Aug 20, 2025
Hurricane Erin is showing signs of strengthening as it accelerates along the Southeast Coast. Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate in coastal communities Wednesday and Wednesday night. High surf, rip currents, gusty winds, and rain squalls will all be threats along the coast.
Hurricane Erin is showing signs of strengthening as it accelerates along the Southeast Coast. Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate in coastal communities Wednesday and Wednesday night. High surf, rip currents, gusty winds, and rain squalls will all be threats along the coast.