Experts predict the storm will strengthen into a major hurricane, up to Category 3 status. Here's how travelers can prepare.

Erin is not forecast to make landfall but will impact much of the East Coast with dangerous coastal conditions as it tracks north, nearly paralleling the coast.

A formidable Hurricane Erin has intensified into a Category 4 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), as it battered parts of the Caribbean. The powerful system is now forecast to generate dangerous surf and rip currents along the US East Coast later this week.

Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area Wednesday through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.