Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion. Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.

Gov. Josh Stein toured the Outer Banks to assess Hurricane Erin's damage, noting that while some areas experienced significant property damage, North Carolina "dodged a bullet" with no reported loss of life.

North Carolina expects coastal flooding from massive waves, tropical-storm-force winds and tidal and storm surges for much of the state shoreline, especially the Outer Banks, as well as life-threatening rip currents for most of the week, Stein said, adding, "No one should be in the ocean."

Strong waves from Hurricane Erin knocked a North Carolina man off his feet on Wednesday as he filmed the impacts of the storm brewing in the Atlantic Ocean.

High rip current and coastal flood warnings remain along North Carolina beaches as Hurricane Erin continues out to sea. FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel takes in a gorgeous sunrise from (mostly) dry land in Kitty Hawk.

The outer bands of Hurricane Erin are brushing North Carolina's Outer Banks, as beachgoers along most U.S. East Coast shores are being warned against swimming due to the risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday night.

Hurricane Erin is moving away from the U.S. coast. Surf and seas remain a problem for our North Carolina beaches through early Saturday as summer vacations continue.

Hurricane Erin passed to within about 250 miles of North Carolina’s Outer Banks Thursday morning at it closest point of approach to the U.S., with its extraordinarily large wind field bringing wind gusts as high as 49 mph to the coast and widespread areas of moderate to even major coastal flooding.