Hurricane Erin Prompts Tropical Storm Warning In US

A tropical storm warning has been issued for the state of North Carolina as Hurricane Erin, the first to register for the Atlantic hurricane season, continues to move up the east coast of the United States, the National Hurricane Center announced Wednesday (August 20) morning.

"A tropical wave located over the central tropical Atlantic continues to produce a broad area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms," the National Hurricane Center said in its Tropical Weather Outlook at around 8:00 a.m. ET. "Environmental conditions appear conductive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form late this week or over the weekend while it moves near or to the north of the northern Leeward Islands."

A state of emergency was declared for all of North Carolina as Erin, which is currently a Category 2 storm, was reported to have maximum sustained winds of 100 MPH and moving north-northwest at 13 MPH, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to make its closest pass to the U.S. shoreline on Thursday (August 21), with the threat of possible flooding and dangerous rip currents.

Erin, which registered as a Category 5 hurricane over the weekend, could possibly strengthen on Wednesday and Thursday, however, is expected to weaken again on Friday (August 22), according to the National Hurricane Center.