Dare County Declares Emergency as Hurricane Erin Strengthens

Dare County in coastal North Carolina declared a state of emergency on Sunday, just hours before Hurricane Erin intensified again to Category 4 strength, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The NHC’s 11 p.m. update reported wind speeds reaching 115 mph, and by 2 a.m., sustained winds had risen to 130 mph. While a direct hit is not expected, officials warned of serious coastal threats. “While Hurricane Erin is expected to stay well off our coast, the system will continue to increase in size and is forecast to bring life-threatening impacts to the Dare County coastline,” the county said in a statement.

Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island, at the southern end of the county’s barrier islands. Officials warned of “extreme beach and coastal damage,” waves up to 15 feet, and the possibility of roads becoming impassable under several feet of water.

Forecast models indicate Erin will remain offshore, moving north-northwest hundreds of miles from the East Coast before turning north and northeast over the Atlantic. On Sunday night, the storm passed east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas.

Tropical storm warnings remain active for the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The hurricane, currently with 130 mph winds, is also producing heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico, and more rain is expected in the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The NHC confirmed that storm watches were discontinued for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, and Sint Maarten. Its latest forecast noted: “Erin is expected to gradually turn northward in a couple of days,” adding that the storm “has been growing in size, and that trend is likely to continue over the next few days.” The agency cautioned that “interests along the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bermuda should monitor the progress of Erin as there is a risk of strong winds associated with the outer rainbands during the middle part of the week.”

Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, reached Category 5 on Saturday with winds of 160 mph before weakening, then regaining strength. Forecasters expect it to remain powerful for several days and possibly intensify further.

Meteorologists are also tracking other systems. A tropical disturbance near the Cabo Verde Islands has a 30% chance of developing into a named storm this week. The NHC said the disturbance is producing “disorganized showers and thunderstorms,” with gradual development possible as it moves westward. Closer to the U.S., an “elongated area of low pressure” off North Carolina’s coast has a 10% chance of becoming a tropical storm in the next week, the NHC added.