Hurricane Erin has weakened to a Category 1 storm after lashing North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding, and bringing a threat of dangerous waves and potentially deadly rip currents to the East Coast.

Hurricane Erin downgraded to a post-tropical Friday evening, but some beaches will remain closed to swimming through Saturday as strong rip currents continue to create dangerous conditions.

Hurricane Erin continues to cause dangerous beach conditions across the New York City area on Friday. Even as warm summer weather returns to the area, Erin is offshore in the Atlantic churning up dangerous surf and rip currents from the Jersey Shore to Long Island,

As Hurricane Erin moved up the East Coast, surfers in and around New York City, who are known to put on hooded wet suits in February to chase decent waves, are enjoying the rarity of the best waves of the season on a summer day.

Hotspots including Rockaway Beach, Coney Island and Manhattan Beach were shuttered Friday as massive waves and strong rip tides threatened suck away swimmers and surfers. State-run Long Island Beaches were closed just for swimming.

Swimming will be prohibited at all New York City beaches Wednesday and Thursday as Hurricane Erin is threatening to bring dangerous rip currents and waves as large as 13 feet to shores all along

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for New Jersey on Thursday afternoon as Hurricane Erin battered coastal communities with strong winds and waves that flooded streets and eroded beaches.

Forecasters are nervously tracking the first hurricane of the Atlantic Hurricane Season which is strengthening back up to a Category Five strength storm