This article was written by Allen G. Breed and John Seewer, and was published in the Globe & Mail on August 21, 2025.
Hurricane Erin began strengthening again Wednesday while creeping closer to the mid-Atlantic Coast and churning up menacing waves that have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York.
Forecasters expect the storm to peak going into Thursday and say it could reintensify into a major hurricane.
While Erin is unlikely to make landfall along the East Coast before turning farther out to sea, its outer edge packing tropical force winds was approaching North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Water began pouring onto the main route connecting the barrier islands and around a handful of stilted homes precariously perched above the beach. By Wednesday evening, officials had closed Highway 12 on Hatteras Island as surge increased and waves were growing higher, while Ocracoke Island’s connection to its ferry terminal was cut off.
Authorities expect the largest swells during high tide will cut off villages and vacation homes on the Outer Banks and whip up lifethreatening rip currents from Florida to New England.
New York closed its beaches to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday. Some beaches in New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware also will be temporarily off-limits. The storm is expected to bring widespread, moderate coastal flooding to low-lying areas of Long Island and parts of New York.
Off Massachusetts, Nantucket Island could see waves of more than three metres later this week. But the biggest threat remained along the Outer Banks, where long-time residents didn’t seem too concerned.
“I remember taking canoes out of my front yard to get to school, so I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad,” said Jacob Throne, who lives on Hatteras Island and works for surf shops.
Surfers flocked to the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, where Erin was supplying robust waves for the East Coast Surfing Championships and the kind of swells that many locals hadn’t seen in a while.
“We’re notorious for not having waves,” said Henry Thompson, who competed in the open long board event. “Usually we get a surf competition and it gets cancelled due to no waves or they just run it in really bad waves.”
The championships will pause Thursday when Erin blows directly off the Virginia coast. But Mr. Thompson said he’s expecting more hurricanes and good surfing in the coming months.
Despite beach closings elsewhere, some swimmers were continuing to ignore the warnings. Rescuers saved more than a dozen people caught in rip currents Tuesday at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina – a day after more than 80 people were rescued.
Bob Oravec, a National Weather Service forecaster, said even if someone thinks they know how to handle a rip current, it’s still not safe.
“You can be aware all you want,” he said. “It can still be dangerous.”
A combination of fierce winds and huge waves – estimated to be about 6.1 metres – could cause coastal flooding in many beachfront communities, North Carolina officials warned on Wednesday.
“Dangerous conditions can be felt far from the eye, especially with a system as large as Erin,” said Will Ray, the state’s emergency management director.
Dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic beach erosion and protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The National Hurricane Center is also watching two tropical disturbances to the east of Erin that could develop into named cyclones. With thousands of miles of warm ocean water, hurricanes known as Cape Verde storms are some of the most dangerous that threaten North America.
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