Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane but is gaining in size and raising the risk of life-threatening surf later this week along the U.S.

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin chugged slowly toward the eastern U.S. coast Tuesday, stirring up treacherous waves that already have forced dozens of beach rescues days before the biggest storm surges are expected.

Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday.

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

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.

As Hurricane Erin churns off the U.S. East Coast, live stream cameras along Florida beaches and across North Carolina are capturing the storm’s impacts. Expect heavy surf and riptides in Florida. Live cam viewpoints of the storm include Broward County, the Treasure Coast, Daytona Beach and Key West.

Hurricane Erin, the first of the Atlantic season, briefly reached Catagory 5 status. What does the intense storm mean for the rest of the 2025?

Tropical air associated with Hurricane Erin combined with a stalled front could trigger dangerous flash flooding in parts of the Northeast at midweek.