Conditions along the North Carolina coast are expected to deteriorate as Hurricane Erin begins to pass by on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

The National Hurricane Center warned that Hurricane Erin is becoming ‘better organized’ as it moves northward through the Atlantic, triggering dangerous rip currents.

Hurricane Erin is forcing evacuations on North Carolina’s Outer Banks as it churns in the Atlantic where high winds and heavy rain are pelting the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of the Bahamas.

The already sprawling storm will grow larger as it hurls the ocean toward the East Coast and Bermuda, and it could have company this week.

Most of the tourists have left Ocracoke Island, and the surfers are watching closely as deadly rip currents lurk below the waves.

Charlotte Fire has activated its Urban Search and Rescue team to support response efforts as Hurricane Erin approaches the North Carolina coast, deploying the team to Edenton with boats, high water vehicles,

Hurricane Erin weakened to a category 3 hurricane during the early hours of Aug. 19 as it moves closer to the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 5 a.m. Aug. 19, Erin was located 675 miles southwest of Bermuda and 750 miles from Cape Hatteras,