These beaches are closed to swimmers in the DC area as Hurricane Erin approaches
Erin Misses East Coast but Sends Dangerous Waves to MD, VA & DE
Hurricane Erin went through explosive strengthening as expected over the weekend as it skirts along the Caribbean. Luckily, Erin will miss the East Coast as it gets steered eastward by a cold front and stays in the Atlantic. While the full tropical impacts won't be felt over the area, places along the Mid-Atlantic coast can see dangerous conditions along the coast.
WASHINGTON - Hurricane Erin is not expected to make landfall, but the East Coast is still feeling threats from the Category 3 storm, especially those in local beach towns.
Beaches ban swimming
What we know:
Several beaches in the Northeast have closed to swimmers for the week as Hurricane Eric begins to travel closer to the U.S.
In Maryland, Assateague State Park was closed for swimming on Monday.
"Due to dangerous surf conditions, Assateague State Park is currently closed for swimming," the state parks system posted on social media.
Ocean City, Maryland, is currently still allowing beachgoers to get in the water, but officials are urging swimmers to listen to lifeguard warnings.
Erin Misses East Coast but Sends Dangerous Waves to MD, VA & DE
Hurricane Erin went through explosive strengthening as expected over the weekend as it skirts along the Caribbean. Luckily, Erin will miss the East Coast as it gets steered eastward by a cold front and stays in the Atlantic. While the full tropical impacts won't be felt over the area, places along the Mid-Atlantic coast can see dangerous conditions along the coast.
Virginia Beach officials say they are currently monitoring the situation.
"Right now, we're going through our checklist, looking at the different predictions and how this could impact the city, and just going through the means to determine what our actions would be once we see the path it eventually takes," Dave Topczynski, Director of Emergency Management for the City of Virginia Beach, told 13NewsNow on Monday.
In Delaware, Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island and Rehoboth Beach all issued swimming prohibitions on Monday.
The City of Rehoboth Beach said high winds and heavy surf conditions prompted the ban, warning that increased rip tides are likely to increase through Thursday.
Hurricane Erin to miss East Coast but send dangerous waves, rip currents to MD, VA & DE
Hurricane Erin went through explosive strengthening as expected over the weekend as it skirts along the Caribbean. Luckily, Erin will miss the East Coast as it gets steered eastward by a cold front and stays in the Atlantic. While the full tropical impacts won't be felt over the area, places along the Mid-Atlantic coast can see dangerous conditions along the coast.
Rip current risk
Local perspective:
A high rip current risk is in effect for Ocean City and Assateague beaches in Maryland through Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Rip currents are strong, narrow, seaward flows of water that extend from close to the shoreline to outside the surf zone.
They pose real dangers to those swimming in beach water, and could become deadly, with over 100 deaths attributed to rip currents in the U.S. every year, according to the United States Lifesaving Association.
High surf advisory
Dig deeper:
The NWS has issued a high surf advisory for all Atlantic Ocean beaches for Wednesday and Thursday with a possible extension further into the week.
Ocean seas are expected to build to 11–15 feet and higher by Friday morning, before subsiding into the weekend.
On Thursday and Friday, the weather service says to expect dangerous conditions near inlets, and possibly gale-force wind gusts.
Tracking Hurricane Erin
Timeline:
As of Tuesday morning, Hurricane Erin is located about 750 miles to the south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is moving off to the northwest at 7 mph.
The center of Hurricane Erin is expected to pass to the east of the Bahamas on Tuesday and Tuesday night, and then move over the western Atlantic between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the National Weather Service and social media for local beach towns.