Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, won't make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, but it will impact residents and visitors at North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Hurricane Erin's path will keep its strongest winds offshore. However, this large storm will hammer the East Coast with coastal flooding and life-threatening rip currents through Friday. Here's the latest forecast.

The Atlantic hurricane season is in its peak period of activity, and a small area of low pressure is the latest disturbance to crowd the tropics. See the forecast.

On Thursday, Hurricane Erin was several hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina and pushing storm surge and deadly rip currents toward the shore. Two other systems may form right behind.

Hurricane Erin was a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph as it made its closest approach to the U.S.

Hurricane Erin has triggered a state of emergency in North Carolina, where residents and visitors along the Outer Banks are under evacuation orders.

Hurricane Erin has begun to move away from the North Carolina coast, the National Hurricane Center said in an Aug. 21 advisory.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Erin's storm surge was too much for NC12 tonight. We will be CLOSING NC12 from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Village at 6:30 p.m. Conditions are too unsafe for people to be driving in. If you come across any flood waters, turn around, don't drown. #ncwx pic.twitter.com/Osh15AFMT5

Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for the North Carolina coast. The storm will move northeast as it heads out to sea and away from land.

Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion. Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.

Users were impressed by the perspective captured in the viral post, with one describing it as "beautiful and terrifying."

Hurricane Erin is still churning north and on track to pass by the Jersey Shore and Delaware beaches hundreds of miles off the coast. While the heart of the storm will likely stay well offshore (fortunately),