Erin is located about 655 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane center forecasters said Erin is moving toward the north-northwest and that this motion,

"Heavy rainfall is possible on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, with potential for a maximum of 4 inches," NHC said Tuesday.

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.

Forecasts nudge Erin's likely path to the west, increasing the risks at U.S. beaches. Experts say the storm's massive size, rather than windspeed, is what makes it a threat.

Hurricane Erin on Monday bulked back up, but then dropped back down, although still a major Category 3 storm as it moved near the Bahamas with an increasing wind field that prompted new tropical

Hurricane Erin is forcing evacuations on North Carolina’s Outer Banks as it threatens to whip up wild waves and tropical force winds.