Hurricane Erin, rip current and North Carolina
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Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, won't make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, but it will impact residents and visitors at North Carolina's Outer Banks.
The storm is bringing dangerous conditions to parts of the coast on Wednesday, but will then turn away from the United States.
People in the Outer Banks should shelter in place, authorities said. Meanwhile, life-threatening rip currents are likely at beaches along the East Coast, according to forecasters.
Hurricane Erin has triggered a state of emergency in North Carolina, where residents and visitors along the Outer Banks are under evacuation orders.
According to a 5 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center on Aug. 20, Erin is located about 455 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph with higher gusts.
Local officials issued evacuation orders for parts of the Outer Banks, warning that the storm might wash out roads.
Much of the North Carolina coast, including the Outer Banks, is under tropical storm and storm surge warnings as Hurricane Erin churns as a Category 2 storm. The tropical storm warning extends from downeast Carteret County,