Hurricane Erin threatens Bahamas, Turks and Caicos with flooding and high seas

Forecasters have warned of possible life-threatening flooding on the US East Coast from rising waters caused by Hurricane Erin. Erin, currently a Category 3 storm, is expected to grow in size as it tracks northward in the western Atlantic Ocean.

While the system is not forecast to make landfall, it is predicted to bring dangerous currents and waves to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast, and Canada’s Atlantic provinces.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeast Bahamas. On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a storm surge watch has been issued, with authorities ordering a mandatory evacuation of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Officials warned that the main highway linking the islands could become impassable as conditions worsen.

According to the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), Erin’s center is expected to pass east of the Bahamas on Tuesday before moving north between Bermuda and the US East Coast on Wednesday and Thursday. The storm is predicted to be off the Florida-Georgia border at 2:00 a.m. EDT Wednesday and parallel to the North Carolina coast by 2:00 a.m. EDT Thursday.