Forecasters say the monster storm will turn away from the eastern U.S. and won’t make landfall. But they predict it will churn up dangerous rip currents.

The stream of overwash and flooded side roads near the oceanfront was on display in Buxton on Tuesday, with an evening high tide giving the area its first look at Hurricane Erin's possible impacts.

The stream of overwash and flooded side roads near the oceanfront was on display in Buxton on Tuesday. With an evening high tide giving the area the first look at the potential impacts of Hurricane Erin off the coast.

Cape Hatteras, NC — Hurricane Erin continued its northward churn through the Atlantic on Tuesday, threatening dangerous surf and coastal flooding from the Bahamas to the U.S. East Coast, as tropical storm warnings and storm surge alerts were issued for parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of the storm’s closest approach late Wednesday.

Early Monday, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as it approached the southeastern Bahamas, the NHC reported.