Erin has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane. Erin is expected to stay at category. Erin has tropical storm force winds stretching out over 200 miles from the center. The entire wind field of Erin stretches over 500 miles.

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.

The NWS Wakefield VA released a tropical cyclone statement at 11:28 a.m. on Tuesday in effect until 7:30 p.m. The statement is for Western Currituck and Eastern Currituck as well as Pasquotank, Camden,

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds on Monday night as it passed to the east of the Bahamas. The forecast track keeps the center of the storm well away from the U.S. East Coast this week, but tropical storm and storm surge watches have been issued for the North Carolina Outer Banks. National Hurricane Center

Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches have been issued for portions of North Carolina’s Outer Banks as extremely dangerous Hurricane Erin continues to barrel across the Atlantic as a major Category 4 hurricane.

A weather alert was issued by the NWS Newport/Morehead City NC on Monday at 2:51 p.m. for strong thunderstorms until 3:30 p.m. The alert is for Mainland Hyde as well as Tyrrell and Beaufort counties.

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. ( WBTV /Gray News) - A tornado touched down at a North Carolina beach earlier this week. According to the National Weather Service, the EF-0 tornado started as a waterspout over the Atlantic Ocean and moved onshore at Holden Beach on Thursday at about 5:45 p.m.