Hurricane Erin on Wednesday grew in size as it made its way up into the Atlantic off the U.S. East Coast with tropical-storm conditions forecast to hit North Carolina and dangerous surf left

Surfers prayed to the wave gods ahead of the competition and Hurricane Erin listened, as she is primed to send big waves to our coastline.

U.S. shores are unlikely to see a direct hit, but a strong offshore hurricane can produce massive and dangerous waves well away from its center.

The storm is not currently forecast to hit land, but its strong winds are impacting nearby islands, prompting warnings of possible flooding and landslides.

Hurricane Erin is a huge Category 4 storm and is expected to both grow larger and stronger today as it moves toward the west-northwest. The center of the storm is expected to remain offshore as it moves between the U.

Hurricane Erin weakened slightly Monday night to a strong Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph as it churned northwest, bringing dangerous surf and renewed concerns about beach erosion along Florida’s Atlantic coast.