Outer Banks, Hurricane Erin and North Carolina
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Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area Wednesday through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm Monday morning and is expected to retain major hurricane status through the middle of the week.
Officials in Dare and Hyde counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands ahead of Hurricane Erin, which strengthened overnight into a Category 4 storm. While Erin
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.
Scientists link the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change, with global warming causing more intense storms.