A tropical storm warning has been issued for North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns up the east coast of the U.S. as a Category 2 storm.

Dangerous rip currents are expected along the U.S. East Coast as Hurricane Erin grows in size this week, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday.

Hurricane Erin is bringing strong waves and life-threatening rip currents to the Atlantic coast, including Florida, leading to warnings in some areas as the storm moves east of the U.S. over the Atlantic.