The powerful hurricane churning off North Carolina coast will bring little impact to Raleigh and the Triangle beyond a light breeze and a sprinkling of rain, forecasters said Monday.
But Hurricane Erin poses a life-threatening risk to anyone cruising to the beach this week for a last gasp of summer, bringing rough seas and dangerous currents even when the weather seems pleasant.
“I would not let my family go into the water,” said Nick Petro, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Raleigh Monday. “The rip currents are going to be just powerful.”
Evacuations ordered on OBX
As of Monday morning, Erin, a Category 4 storm, was churning just east of the southern Bahamas with winds at 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Dare and Hyde counties expect waves reaching 20 feet Wednesday and Thursday and have ordered both tourists and locals to leave Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
Petro said overwash is pretty much a certainty on the Outer Banks, and that NC 12 will likely see flooded sections. Officials there warn that EMS will probably not be able to reach people in the heaviest-hit areas.
What the Triangle will see Wednesday, Thursday
North Carolina has experienced an extremely wet summer with an average of 5.85 inches of rain falling across the state, especially during Tropical Storm Chantal in July.
Normally, this would create a possibility for downed trees with the soil so saturated.
But Petro said the forecasting models agree so far that Erin won’t make much of an impact beyond the coast when it arrives late Wednesday.
“Maybe some breezy winds later Wednesday and into Thursday,” he said. “You’ll feel the air moving around. You’ll know it’s a little unusual.”
A “stray outer band” from Erin may venture across Interstate 95 on Wednesday, but those rarely bring more than a light rain.
Don’t go in the water as Erin arrives
Wake County schools start classes Aug. 25 for students on a traditional calendar, giving central NC one last week at the beach.
Petro said weather leading up to storms is often at its nicest, tempting swimmers as Erin arrives. But he stresses this warning:
“I would maybe put a toe in the sand,” he said, “but I would not go in the water.”
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