US dodges direct strike by Hurricane Erin, but coastal dangers remain

Hurricane Erin is racing off to the Northeast away from the United States as some high wind gusts with elevated tides still exists. The highest wind gusts and largest waves will remain across Cape Cod and the Gulf of Maine today as Erin moves off into the Canadian maritime. The energy emanating from Erin will continue to be felt on most of the East Coast of the United States, but the focus will be from the North Carolina coast north to New England.

NEW YORK – Hurricane Erin is spinning away from the U.S. but the storm’s large size and powerful outer bands are still expected to bring coastal flooding to parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic through Friday night, as well as dangerous swimming conditions for most East Coast beaches through the weekend.

The U.S. avoided a direct strike from Hurricane Erin this week but still caused significant disruptions up and down the coast.

Erin, which reached Category 5 intensity while north of the Caribbean, came within about 200 miles of North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Thursday, causing overwash to swamp roadways and erode protective dunes.

Videos and photos taken Thursday morning along North Carolina’s Highway 12 – the main thoroughfare through the Outer Banks – showed long stretches of the coastal highway underwater during high tide.

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Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation shut down a nearly 50-mile stretch of the roadway because of the hazards but gave no indication of when it would reopen to residents and travelers.

Authorities said inspections had not uncovered major structural damage to bridges or highways, but sand and debris removal was expected to be extensive.

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That same message was echoed up and down the Eastern Seaboard, where officials reported relatively little in the way of significant impacts despite the power of the hurricane.

In several northeastern states, authorities reported that low-lying coastal areas did see flooding with the evening’s high tide.

In southern New Jersey, residents in West Wildwood navigated the inundated streets using surfboards and other small flotation craft, appearing to take the event in stride.

Ahead of the hurricane, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for 21 counties and warned that dangers would persist at least through Friday.

While not along the Atlantic Ocean, flooding was seen early Friday morning on Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia caused by the Delaware River, which was experiencing tidal flooding due to Erin.

A North Carolina man was hit by a strong wave from Hurricane Erin as he stood on a sand dune in Hatteras, North Carolina, on Wednesday.

Even though the hurricane is hundreds of miles away, forecasters said Erin’s size would allow rip currents and rough seas to continue along much of the East Coast through the weekend.

Officials have been warning beachgoers for days to stay out of the water, citing hundreds of rescues as evidence of the ocean’s power.

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There have been no reports of missing swimmers as of Friday morning, but lifeguards cautioned against going into the water, especially during one of the final weekends of summer, with many coastal communities busy with visitors.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is expected to visit coastal areas on Friday to assess damage and the status of reopening efforts.

Elsewhere in the tropics, the National Hurricane Center said it is monitoring a few disturbances in the Atlantic basin, but the FOX Forecast Center noted that due to the prevailing weather pattern over North America, none of the systems pose a threat to the continental United States.

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