Hurricane Erin tracker: North Carolina under state of emergency, beaches ban swimming in Northeast

(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, has prompted a state of emergency in North Carolina and is expected to bring dangerous waves and rip currents to beaches along the East Coast.

“To folks on the coast, now is the time to prepare,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned on Tuesday.

Here’s the latest forecast:

The Outer Banks

While the storm won’t make landfall on the East Coast, it has triggered a tropical storm warning for North Carolina’s Outer Banks and mandatory evacuations for some Outer Banks residents and visitors.

The Outer Banks is expected to get heavy rain, winds over 40 mph and a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet this week.

A high surf advisory has also been issued, with destructive, large breaking waves up to 20 feet in the forecast.

Coastal damage is likely from large waves destroying protective dunes. The flooding will also extend inland, likely impacting roads.

Tracking Erin

Dangerous rip currents and waves are forecast for the East Coast through Friday, with high surf advisories stretching from Florida to Massachusetts.

More than 50 people were rescued from the ocean at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on Monday, local officials said, and no swimming is recommended at Wrightsville Beach from Tuesday through Friday.

The popular beach towns of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Wildwood, New Jersey, banned swimming on Monday due to the rough surf, while New York City is closing its beaches for swimming on Wednesday and Thursday.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday urged all beachgoers in the state to avoid going in the ocean this week, and added, “We need to anticipate what could be meaningful flooding on the back end of this.”

On Tuesday, waves are picking up from Florida to the Outer Banks, and then they’ll span from Florida to New Jersey on Wednesday.

Wednesday night into Thursday, waves could rise up to 20 feet in the Carolinas as Erin makes its closest pass to the Outer Banks.

On Thursday, massive waves will hit beaches in the Northeast, including the Jersey Shore and Long Island. These waves will be destructive along the Northeast coastline, especially in vulnerable areas, from the Jersey Shore to Rhode Island.

Erin will make its closest pass to the Outer Banks on Thursday, bringing the heavy rain and strong winds. Erin will then head out to sea.

ABC News’ Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.