Hurricane Erin is at the top of many minds on the East coast this week, as the major weather event is set to bring heavy rain and possible storm surge to areas like North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Erin is considered a “high-end” Category 2 hurricane, bordering on Category 3. It currently isn’t expected to make landfall, but could bring adverse conditions to certain areas.
Current projections place it on what is essentially a parallel path to the Atlantic coast, but it may not be the only named storm that causes problems along the coastline.
Officials in Hanover County, NC carried out 75 rip-current rescues on Monday alone, showing just how dangerous the conditions have become. Wrightsville Beach in the county has issued a no-swim advisory for the remainder of the week as a result.
Erin’s emergence is a sign of a particularly strong Atlantic hurricane season, and it appears that systems of this magnitude are becoming more common in the region. The National Hurricane Center is currently monitoring two areas of possible storm development in the same area Erin formed.
The first area sits over the open tropical Atlantic and has what experts call a “medium” chance to develop into a tropical storm or depression within the next seven days.
The second area is near the Cabo Verde islands in Africa, and has a “low” chance to develop into a more powerful storm or depression. This area is set to run into a different set of atmospheric conditions that could affect its ability to develop.
The next two storms that develop in the Atlantic Ocean will be named Fernand and Gabrielle, respectively.
Hurricane Erin appears to have settled into a consistent range after accelerated development earlier this week. The storm peaked at a Category 5 over the weekend, fueled by extremely warm water.
Erin isn’t expected to make landfall, but its arrival and the weather effects associated with it could be significant. Coastal and shore areas from Florida to New York are on high alert for what’s to come over the next few days, and a weather system this strong is likely to bring more dangerous currents and high tides.
