The outer bands of Hurricane Erin, now over 600 miles wide as it turns north, will lash the East Coast with tropical storm force winds, up to 4 feet of storm surge and waves up to 20 feet.

The stream of overwash and flooded side roads near the oceanfront was on display in Buxton on Tuesday. With an evening high tide giving the area the first look at the potential impacts of Hurricane Erin off the coast.

NCDOT officials said "given the winds, wave heights and storm surge forecast, it likely won't be enough" to keep NC 12 from flooding at the Outer Banks.

Two more tropical systems trail Hurricane Erin, which is following a projected course that brushes past the East Coast without making landfall.

Although the storm is expected to stay offshore, it will produce dangerous surf conditions for much of the Atlantic Coast this week, forecasters say.