Hurricane Erin remains a large storm and it continues expanding
Tropical storm warnings are in place for many coastal communities across North Carolina and southeastern Virginia as Hurricane Erin brushes past the region.
While the core of the storm will remain far offshore, Hurricane Erin is a very large system and it continues to grow larger as it begins its ever-hastening recurve out to sea.
Forecasters at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday found that Erin’s tropical storm force winds extended 265 miles from the center of the storm, while hurricane force winds extended 90 miles from the center of the storm.
That’s unusually large by Atlantic standards—and it’ll continue to grow its footprint over the next couple of days.
Erin’s maximum sustained winds of 110 mph almost seem disconnected from its deep minimum central pressure of 941 mb. Hurricanes can spend their energy (so to speak) on intensity and size, with one usually coming at the expense of the other. This storm’s very deep minimum pressure is translating to size rather than packing all that energy into a tight, powerful core.
A ridge of high pressure over the central Atlantic will continue to guide Erin to the north, and then northeast, over the next couple of days, allowing the storm to recurve safely out to sea.
Despite its offshore track, the storm’s sheer size may allow tropical storm force winds to buffet portions of the North Carolina and Virginia coastlines. These areas could see power outages, tree damage, as well as coastal flooding and beach erosion from storm surge and high surf.
Rip currents are likely up and down the East Coast this week as Erin passes through the region.
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| Image courtesy of NOAA. |
A rip current is a strong current of water that pulls away from the beach and out to sea. Rip currents don’t pull you under like you see in movies—they quickly pull you away from the shore. Many folks get caught in rip currents because these hazards look like appealing calm spots amid an otherwise choppy ocean.
The best way to avoid a rip current is to simply stay out of the water if red flags are hoisted on the beach. If you’re ever caught in a rip current, don’t panic! Exhaustion can lead to drowning. Calmly signal for help. If you know how to swim, swim parallel to the coastline until the rip current stops dragging you out to sea, then swim back to shore.
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