Hurricane Erin is marching north, lashing North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding, and bringing a threat of dangerous waves and potentially deadly rip currents to the East Coast. Due to the high surf and rip current risk, New York City is extending its swimming ban.

Strong winds and waves from Hurricane Erin have battered Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard as dangerous rip currents continue to threaten from the Carolinas to New England.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Erin, while staying hundreds of miles off the Jersey Shore, brings rough surf, windy conditions and the potential for widespread coastal flooding to the region.

The unusually large storm is moving away from the United States, but swells and dangerous rip currents will linger.

“The center of Hurricane Erin made it as close in as 200 miles off the North Carolina coast on Thursday morning as forecast,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. “The storm is expected to pass roughly 300 miles southeast of Nantucket as it moves out to sea.”

Coastal flooding occurred with Thursday's high tide cycle and is likely again during Friday morning's high tide cycle.

Most hurricanes that go down in history are remembered for the devastation they bring. But with little to no chance of hitting land, Hurricane Erin will be remembered for something else: its size.

Hurricane Erin was the fifth named storm of the season. As of Thursday afternoon, the storm is still a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 mph. Its path is taking it away from the U.S., after, for the past few days, the storm has skirted the East Coast and caused dangerous waves and life-threatening rip currents.

Hurricane Erin continues its track away from the United States, and the weather conditions in the Philadelphia region will improve considerably on Friday.

Hurricane Erin has pounded the North Carolina coast with strong waves and gusty winds as it slowly moves out to sea.