Summer is on hold for the East Coast, as Hurricane Erin forces evacuations and closes beaches. Lethal rip currents and high winds are expected from the Category 2 storm, with winds over 100 mph forecast as it makes its way up from the south. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered that a trio of beaches in Long Island be closed for swimming, per 6abc Action News, despite expectations that Erin will not make landfall, while some 17 beaches in New Jersey are also closed. Warnings have been issued from authorities up and down the affected coastline, with North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein saying Tuesday as he declared a state of emergency: “To folks on the coast, now is the time to prepare.” A message on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in an alert: “Life-threatening surf and rip currents along much of the east coast of the U.S. this week.” Residents of the Outer Banks in North Carolina have been warned to expect surges of up to four feet, per ABC News, while the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts, which has closed all beaches, could be in for waves as high as 13 feet as Erin spins winds out roughly 265 miles from her eye. The storm is currently plotted to follow the coast in a northward curve, having hit parts of the Caribbean on Tuesday. Its size is expected to grow, and damage to coastlines is anticipated.
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