As of 19 August, Hurricane Erin (Category 2 storm) is slowly moving northward over western Atlantic ocean, triggering dangerous surf, rip currents, and beach closures along the U.S. East Coast from Florida to Canada. Officials have issued a state of emergency and ordered evacuations in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, which is forecast to experience life-threatening storm surge and waves of over 10 feet. Although no U.S. landfall is predicted, the storm’s large wind fields continue to pose a significant threat, affecting hundreds of thousands of beachgoers and prompting advisories in Bermuda and the mid-Atlantic.