Most of the tourists have left Ocracoke Island, and the surfers are watching closely as deadly rip currents lurk below the waves.

Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday.

Two more tropical systems trail Hurricane Erin, which is following a projected course that brushes past the East Coast without making landfall.

Hurricane Erin is expected to bring massive waves and dangerous rip currents to areas along the East Coast. Here's which beaches are closed. Hurricane Erin's eyewall is now about 30 nautical miles, with hurricane-force-winds extending 80 miles from its eye.

By Tuesday morning, Erin had lost some strength from previous days and dropped to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Hurricane Erin strengthened into a Category 4 storm on Saturday morning, making it the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season.

Erin has intensified to a Category Four Hurricane as it makes its way toward the East Coast of the United States.