Erin is slowly moving away from North Carolina’s coast this morning after making its closest approach overnight, but its dangers are far from over. The hurricane’s strong winds continue to stir the Atlantic, generating large waves and raising water levels during this month’s highest tides.
Earlier this morning, waves near the Outer Banks’ Cape Hatteras reached nearly 20 feet, while wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph affected much of the region, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
A monitoring station near Cape Hatteras recorded rising water levels and minor flooding during today’s high tide, measuring 2.36 feet — nearly three times yesterday morning’s high tide. Farther north, near Duck, water levels reached minor flood stage and nearly approached moderate flooding.
According to the National Weather Service in Morehead City, North Carolina, the worst coastal flooding for some areas will occur during this evening’s high tide, meaning the storm’s impacts are expected to peak but will continue through the day.
“Significant impacts could linger into Friday due to lingering powerful swell energy and elevated tides and water levels,” the NWS warned.
