Hurricane Erin has battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes.

Hurricane Erin has made its brush with the North Carolina coast and is crawling out into the Atlantic Ocean. The storm that climbed from Category 1 to 5 in less than 24 hours last weekend was a very wide Category 2 in morning updates Thursday from the National Hurricane Center.

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.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Erin is also impacting Florida beaches, with large swells and elevated rip current threats continuing. The hurricane will continue to move away from the US today and slowly weaken late week. It is expected to be post-tropical by Saturday.

Roads are closed, and storm surge and tropical storm warnings are still in place, as the coast braces for dangerous conditions for a few more days.

Hurricane Erin is whipping up the Atlantic Ocean at speeds over 100 miles per hour. The trajectory of the storm has it staying out to sea, though many effects will be felt close to shore and on land.