Tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding are expected to appear in areas along the Outer Banks starting late Wednesday.

Hurricane Erin is forcing evacuations on North Carolina’s Outer Banks as it churns in the Atlantic where high winds and heavy rain are pelting the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of the Bahamas.

The outer bands of Hurricane Erin, now over 600 miles wide as it turns north, will lash the East Coast with tropical storm force winds, up to 4 feet of storm surge and waves up to 20 feet.