Hurricane Erin intensified and grew in size on Monday, Aug. 18, as parts of the eastern United States prepared for life-threatening surf and rip current conditions forecast later this week.
After losing some power over the weekend, the hurricane strengthened back into a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, according to an 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters show the storm intensifying more as it gradually turns north on a path between the U.S. and Bermuda.
Erin, the first hurricane to form this Atlantic season and the first to become a major storm, was located 110 miles north of the Grand Turk Island and 890 miles south-southeast of Hatteras Island, a barrier island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina which was placed under a mandatory evacuation as officials warned of flooding.
The storm is expected to steer clear of the U.S., though forecasters warn it could bring dangerous surf and rip current conditions to the Eastern Seaboard. The biggest threat will be along the Outer Banks, where tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding are possible by midweek, the hurricane center said.
A tropical storm warning was in place Aug. 18 for the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as parts of the Bahamas, with forecasters warning of possible “flash and urban flooding.” Additionally, federal forecasters warned those in the Outer Banks and Bermuda to monitor the storm as those areas could soon face winds associated with Erin’s outer rainbands.
“Erin will remain a large and dangerous major hurricane through the middle of this week,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Erin is huge – and getting larger
Erin is a huge storm and expected to grow larger. As of the morning of Monday Aug. 18, its wind field was some 397 miles in diameter. In addition, Erin is creating seas of 10 feet or more across an area roughly 500 miles in diameter.
Erin ranks around the 80th percentile in terms of storm sizes of major hurricanes in the past couple of decades, wrote John Cangialosi, in the National Hurricane Center’s 5:00 a.m EDT discussion. Erin’s wind field is forecast to continue growing over the next few days, as a cycle of eyewall replacements continues.
Some of the largest hurricanes on record include 2012’s enormous Hurricane Sandy, which was among the largest Atlantic hurricanes on record, with a wind field spanning approximately 1,100 miles. Hurricane Floyd in 1999 was also quite large, with a diameter of 580 miles.
Hurricane Erin triggers evacuations for Outer Banks islands
Two counties in North Carolina declared states of emergency and issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of the Outer Banks, a string of islands in the Atlantic Ocean dotted with quaint villages and fishing towns.
Officials for Dare and Hyde counties said Hurricane Erin is likely to cause major flooding and render Highway 12, which runs along the islands, impassable. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents and visitors to the Ocracoke and Hatteras islands.
“Dangerous waves, 20+ feet, will likely inundate and destroy protective dune structures along the highway,” said a Hyde County news release. “Life-threatening swimming and surfing conditions are expected.”
The statement added that “it is extremely likely” that Hyde County emergency services won’t be available if Highway 12 is washed over by heavy waves. “Please take this warning seriously, especially if you have medical issues or are likely to need special care,” the county said.
Erin briefly exploded into Category 5 hurricane
Erin formed into a hurricane from a tropical storm on Friday, Aug. 15. The following day, the storm quickly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane with sustained minimum winds of 160 mph before it lost momentum and was downgraded to a Category 3.
Over the weekend, the storm lashed Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, causing tens of thousands of power outages, flight cancellations and closures across both islands. No deaths were reported and crews have restored power to most of the homes and businesses that experiences outages.
Erin has since begun a new period of intensification, which could end Aug. 19 as it encounters wind shear, though forecasters say it will remain a major hurricane.
Even hundreds of miles offshore, hurricanes can be damaging and deadly
Hurricane Erin is expected to take a path familiar to many as the massive storm moves northward parallel to the United States coast.
Dozens of hurricanes have made a similar trek in recent years, testing the nerves of millions who wait to see if the storms are destined to make any sharp left turns or wobbles toward the coast. Even when they don’t brush the coast or make landfall, such storms can be deadly and cause millions of dollars of damage.
Many lives have been lost during hurricanes that remained well offshore but created rough surf or deceptive conditions that can disguise hazardous rip currents. Over a 10-year period, about 10 to 15% of all deaths in tropical storms and hurricanes were attributed to rip currents, according to the hurricane center.
Hurricane Erin caused outages across Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
Hurricane Erin’s rainbands lashed Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with heavy rain over the weekend, leading to power outages and temporary closures.
None of the islands saw major impacts from the storm, but in Puerto Rico over 150,000 homes and businesses lost power, according to LUMA Energy, most of which has been restored.
Over the weekend, nearly the entire island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands was without electricity, though workers managed to restore power to most of the island within hours, local officials said.
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Source: USA TODAY
