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.

North Carolina has been placed under a state of emergency and more than 2,000 people have been evacuated, as Hurricane Erin continues to track northward and towards the U.S. East Coast.Tropical storm force winds and surge conditions would increase in the Outer Banks region of The Tar Heel State and portions of coastal Virginia throughout the day,

Maryland will avoid a direct hit from Hurricane Erin, but the storm is passing close enough in the Atlantic Ocean to have some effects.

Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings have been issued for parts of North Carolina and Virginia Beach and up to Chincoteague.

Rough surf conditions and dangerous rip currents have forced many beaches to ban swimming and boogie boarding this week.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking two tropical waves in the eastern and central Atlantic Ocean, far from the U.S. coast.

Forecasters are tracking two tropical disturbances behind Hurricane Erin, but neither shows signs of becoming an immediate threat to land. One system east of the Lesser Antilles has only a medium chance of development,

A new system has emerged in the eastern tropical Atlantic, heading westward toward the Leeward Islands as Hurricane Erin continues to spin.