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

On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, barrier islands that stretch over 175 miles, coastal flooding was expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday. Two of the four counties on the Outer

Forecasters are monitoring two other tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 19 as the heart of the 2025 hurricane season approaches.

Erin is the fifth named storm to develop during the Atlantic hurricane season, which started just over two months ago. Last week, Tropical Storm Dexter formed in the western Atlantic but didn't pose a threat to land. In early July, Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall on the Carolina coast, bringing deadly flooding to the region.

Forecasters expect Erin to turn northward by Wednesday and then northeastward Thursday, keeping its center offshore but passing between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast. Even without a direct landfall, the storm’s wide wind field and dangerous surf will make it a serious threat along beaches up and down the East Coast in the days ahead

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm Monday morning and is expected to retain major hurricane status through the middle of the week.