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.

The storm has already prompted evacuation orders on North Carolina's Outer Banks and warnings about dangerous rip currents and swells along the East Coast.

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

Hurricane Erin is causing dangerous swimming conditions along the East Coast even as the strength of the storm weakened.

Erin is officially the first hurricane of the 2025 season. Maximum sustained winds of 75 mph were recorded Friday, Aug. 15, as the storm continues to move west-northwest near 18 mph. Wind speeds are expected to strengthen, and the hurricane will likely become a major hurricane over the weekend.

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,