As the Atlantic hurricane season reaches its peak, Hurricane Erin has made headlines for both its ferocity and its sheer size, leaving a trail of disruption and anxiety along the United States East Coast and beyond. The storm’s journey, from a rapidly intensifying Category 5 behemoth to a weakening post-tropical cyclone, has been closely tracked by meteorologists, emergency officials, and millions of coastal residents. Even as Erin moves away from the mainland, its impact continues to reverberate from the Carolinas up through New England and out over the Atlantic.
Hurricane Erin began as a patch of instability monitored by meteorologists days before it was officially named on Monday, August 18, 2025, according to weather.com. Initially, the system was a tropical storm, meandering westward across the Atlantic. It briefly weakened mid-week as it encountered cooler waters, but the respite was short-lived. By Friday, August 15, Erin had entered a period of explosive rapid intensification, vaulting from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 30 hours—a feat matched by only a handful of storms since 1970. Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a noted hurricane researcher, pointed out that Erin joined a rare group of only five hurricanes with wind speeds of at least 145 mph by August 16, and was the first Category 5 in the Atlantic since Milton and Beryl in 2024.
Erin’s power was not just in its winds but in its remarkable size. The National Hurricane Center reported that by August 21, the storm’s tropical storm-force winds stretched nearly 575 miles from end to end, making it larger than 90% of similar Atlantic hurricanes. At its peak, Erin’s wingspan even exceeded 600 miles, according to the Associated Press. This immense reach meant that even as the storm’s eye remained well offshore, its effects were felt along more than 1,000 miles of the East Coast.
The first major brush with the U.S. came on the night of August 20, when Erin passed just 200 miles from North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The storm brought tropical storm-force wind gusts of 40 to 53 mph to the region, with even higher gusts reported by a NOAA buoy east of Hatteras—up to 85 mph, along with waves as tall as 45 feet. The Outer Banks, a vulnerable chain of barrier islands, saw serious coastal flooding and beach erosion. Highway 12, the lifeline connecting these islands, was closed after being inundated with sand, water, and debris. The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported that sand dunes designed to shield the roadway were breached and flattened by the force of the ocean.
Evacuations were ordered for parts of the Outer Banks, including Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. More than 2,200 people and 1,100 cars were ferried off Ocracoke Island on August 20, as officials warned that the region could become completely inaccessible. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency and announced plans to visit Dare County on August 22 to assess the damage. Despite the dramatic scenes, Dare County Manager Bobby Outten told the Associated Press, “All in all, it’s not as bad as it could have been,” noting that there were no new inlets or significant structural damage to homes or businesses as of Friday.
Elsewhere along the coast, Erin’s impact was felt in different ways. In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency on August 21 after tidal flooding led to road closures and water rescues in Atlantic City and Wildwood. Firefighters in Margate City rescued more than 50 people from cars, restaurants, and bars after sudden flooding. Delaware activated its Emergency Operations Center, with Governor Matt Meyer urging residents to “stay off the beaches tonight and keep clear of flood-prone roads.” Coastal flood warnings stretched from the Mid-Atlantic to New England, with some roads rendered impassable and beaches closed to swimming as dangerous rip currents surged up the coast.
Rip currents, in particular, posed a major threat. More than 70 people were rescued from rip currents in North Carolina during the week before Erin’s closest pass. “Some of these rips are pulling six to eight people out at a time,” Wrightsville Beach ocean rescue director Sam Proffitt told CNN, describing the conditions as “very strong” and “dangerous.” He added that the volume of water moving was so intense, “it really doesn’t matter how good of a swimmer you are.” Popular beaches up and down the East Coast, from North Carolina to Massachusetts, restricted swimming, and even New York City closed its beaches to swimmers on August 21. Still, the big waves proved irresistible to some. At Rockaway Beach in Queens, experienced surfers took to the water. Local resident Scott Klossner told the Associated Press, “You wait all year round for these kinds of waves. It’s challenging, really hard to stay in one place, because there’s a heavy, heavy, heavy rip. But this is what surfers want—a hurricane that comes but doesn’t destroy my house? I’ll take that.”
Farther north, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard were battered by strong winds and waves, with Nantucket’s airport recording gusts up to 47 mph overnight into August 22. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority canceled ferry service to and from several Boston-area cities, and oceanside beaches along Cape Cod’s National Seashore were closed due to high surf and rip currents. Minor coastal flooding was reported in New England, but the worst was avoided as Erin remained offshore.
Erin’s path also brought significant rainfall to the Caribbean earlier in the week. The National Weather Service reported up to 6 inches of rain in Puerto Rico and up to 7 inches in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Wind gusts reached 57 mph on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and 53 mph in the Turks and Caicos as Erin passed near these islands, but the strongest sustained winds stayed mostly north of the Caribbean.
By August 22, the National Hurricane Center declared that Erin had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and its center located about 375 miles south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. All tropical storm warnings for the U.S. and Bermuda were lifted, though a risk of coastal flooding lingered into the weekend. Meteorologist Caitlyn Mench told the Associated Press, “On a positive note, it passed all offshore,” summing up the relief felt by many in New England.
Erin’s legacy will likely be its rapid intensification and its unusual size, both of which scientists say are becoming more common as ocean and atmospheric temperatures rise in a world increasingly affected by fossil fuel pollution. In fact, Erin may not be the last rapidly intensifying hurricane of the season. The National Hurricane Center was already tracking new areas of potential development near the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands and the open tropical Atlantic, with more storms possibly on the way.
As the Atlantic hurricane season continues, the story of Hurricane Erin serves as a vivid reminder of the power—and unpredictability—of nature, and the importance of preparedness for those living in harm’s way.
