Hurricane Erin is bringing life-threatening rip and surf currents to New York and New Jersey despite being hundreds of miles away, according to forecasters. The storm is 800 miles away from the East Coast,

Hurricane Erin is still churning in the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 2 Hurricane, delivering tropical storm-force winds to Turks and Caicos and parts of the Bahamas. As the storm continues to make its way north up the East Coast,

The National Hurricane Center warned that roads in the low-lying barrier islands may become impassable, with waves as high as 20 feet crashing ashore. The heavy surf is likely to result in significant beach erosion, it said in its 8 a.m. EDT update.

The first Atlantic hurricane of the season is forecast to bring heavy rain and life-threatening surf and rip currents to the U.S. East Coast this week.

Hurricane Erin's higher tides and big waves are battering much of the East Coast, with the large storm prompting the expansion of tropical storm and coastal flooding advisories Wednesday. Beachfront property owners are bracing for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion.

Hurricane Erin is not expected to make landfall in the U.S., but Maryland could see some impacts as the storm travels parallel to the East Coast.