Additional strengthening is expected as the storm is forecast to “remain a large and dangerous major hurricane through the middle of this week,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Beaches along the New Jersey coast and in Delaware were closed Tuesday as the powerful storm churned in the Atlantic. New York City announced its beaches would close on Wednesday and Thursday.

Erin, a sprawling Category 2 hurricane, is not forecast to make landfall but will impact much of the East Coast with dangerous coastal conditions as it tracks north, nearly paralleling the coast. Bermuda will face similar conditions to the storm's east.

Tropical storm watches expand from the Virginia beaches to Fenwick Island, Delaware, and include Ocean City, Maryland.

Every week in the summer, Delaware Online/The News Journal provides this weekly guide to the Delaware beaches. Here's what's happening this week. Hurricane Erin isn't expected to make landfall, but the magnitude of the storm means that even as it passes hundreds of miles offshore, its effects will be felt along the coast.

All eyes will be on major Hurricane Erin this week as the storm begins its northerly track toward the eastern seaboard.

Forecasters are monitoring two other tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 19 as the heart of the 2025 hurricane season approaches.