WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurricane Erin, a powerful Category 2 storm, is causing widespread closures of beaches and hazardous ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast, leading to numerous water rescues and local evacuations as of Wednesday, August 20, 2025. While the hurricane is not forecast to make direct landfall in the United States, its broad reach is generating life-threatening surf and rip currents from South Florida to New England, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and reports from The Associated Press.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced that all city beaches would be closed for swimming on Wednesday and Thursday “due to dangerous riptides from Hurricane Erin,” as reported by The Times of India. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also ordered three state beaches on Long Island to prohibit swimming through Thursday. Similarly, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy urged residents and visitors to avoid wading or swimming in the ocean, citing hazardous rip currents and high waves, with beaches including Margate, Wildwood, and Island Beach State Park closed, according to The Economic Times.
“The storm surge will be accompanied by large waves, leading to significant beach erosion and overwash, making some roads impassable,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated
The most severe impacts are anticipated along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a barrier island chain particularly vulnerable to storm surge and erosion. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, with officials warning that roads could become impassable due to significant beach erosion and overwash from waves estimated to be 15 to 20 feet high, CBS News reported. Dare County has also declared a state of emergency. More than 80 people were rescued from rip currents at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina on Monday and Tuesday alone, according to The Associated Press.
Erin, which briefly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane over the weekend, has since weakened but remains a large and powerful system. As of Wednesday, it maintained sustained winds of 100 mph (161 kph) and was moving north-northwest hundreds of miles offshore, according to the NHC. Forecasters anticipate that the storm will continue to generate “life-threatening” waves and coastal flooding through at least Thursday.
Authorities across affected states have emphasized the dangers of entering the water. “It’s simply not going to be a safe environment to be in the ocean,” said Mike Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, as quoted by The Economic Times. Coastal flood warnings are in effect for parts of New Jersey and Delaware, with increasing wave heights and the risk of localized minor coastal flooding during high tides, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia. The National Weather Service has cautioned of storm surge and waves exceeding 10 feet in the region, urging people to stay out of the ocean through at least Thursday.
