Hurricane Erin, North Carolina and Outer Banks
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Two more tropical systems trail Hurricane Erin, which is following a projected course that brushes past the East Coast without making landfall.
NCDOT officials said "given the winds, wave heights and storm surge forecast, it likely won't be enough" to keep NC 12 from flooding at the Outer Banks.
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.
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.
"Extreme beach and coastal damage is likely along the oceanside, resulting in a significant threat to life and property," weather forecasters said about a Hurricane Erin impact on the OBX and other North Carolina coastal areas.
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.
Hurricane Erin weakened to a category 3 hurricane during the early hours of Aug. 19 as it moves closer to the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 5 a.m. Aug. 19, Erin was located 675 miles southwest of Bermuda and 750 miles from Cape Hatteras,