Hurricane Erin is moving northward through the Atlantic Ocean, and even though its strongest winds will not make landfall, the storm is already creating serious problems along the U.S. East Coast. The large size of the hurricane is pushing powerful waves toward shore,

Thousands of people were evacuated off parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks amid the threat of a storm surge. Meanwhile, beaches remained off limits along the East Coast as dangerous waves and rip currents slammed shorelines.

Hurricane Erin's path will not bring its strongest winds ashore. However, it continues to grow in size, and its impacts from high surf, rip currents and coastal flooding are already increasing along parts of the East Coast.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Storm surge flooding and tropical storm conditions from Hurricane Erin are forecast for the Outer Banks of North Carolina starting Wednesday evening. At 5 p.

The NWS Newport/Morehead City NC released a storm surge watch at 4:50 p.m. on Monday in effect until Tuesday at 2 a.m. for Hatteras Island.

Hurricane Erin brings swells to Florida. It's ideal for surfing but dangerous for beachgoers who see blue skies, but don't realize the dangers.