Beaches along the New Jersey coast and in Delaware were closed as the powerful storm churned in the Atlantic. Officials warned of severe waves and possible flooding.

Some beaches in the Delaware Valley have prohibited swimming as a precaution as Hurricane Erin moves closer to the East Coast.

Cape Hatteras, NC — Hurricane Erin continued its northward churn through the Atlantic on Tuesday, threatening dangerous surf and coastal flooding from the Bahamas to the U.S. East Coast, as tropical storm warnings and storm surge alerts were issued for parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of the storm’s closest approach late Wednesday.

“Certainly, Erin is not helping,” said Mike Lee, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. But the surf on Monday primarily was being stirred by strong onshore winds, gusting up to 35 mph, behind a front that came through Sunday night and triggered surprising downpours in parts of the region.

Hurricane Erin lashes Bahamas and Turks and Caicos with winds, rain, and flooding as forecasters track a new Atlantic tropical threat.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Hurricane Erin is still expected to churn up dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

As Hurricane Erin churns off the U.S. East Coast, live stream cameras along Florida beaches and across North Carolina are capturing the storm's impacts. Expect heavy surf and riptides in Florida. Live cam viewpoints of the storm include Broward County,