Erin fades from US but dangerous rip currents, rough seas for swimming to last through weekend

Hurricane Erin's swan song still leaves lingering impacts through the weekend

FOX Weather's Brandy Campell reports from Ocean City, Maryland where waves are still high from Hurriacne Erin's earlier pass this week. 

NEW YORK - What's left of the former Hurricane Erin is now halfway back across the Atlantic Ocean, nearly completing its days-long U-turn since it was born off the African coast some two weeks ago. But the storm's lingering legacy after churning up thousands of square miles of ocean is still expected to bring coastal flooding to parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic through Sunday morning, as well as dangerous swimming conditions for most East Coast beaches through the weekend.

Officials have been warning beachgoers for days to stay out of the water, citing hundreds of rescues as evidence of the ocean’s power.

Beaches in Narraganset, Rhode Island, were closed to swimmers on Friday, although people were allowed to walk along the shore and take in the impressive waves from a safe distance.

Nantucket, Massachusetts also closed its South Shore beaches to swimmers due to dangerous surf.

Coastal Flood Warnings linger through Saturday across parts of southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia due to minor tidal flooding issues. Water pushed inland by Erin has had difficulty draining due to persistent onshore flow, leaving some localized tidal flooding through the day. 

Coastal Flooding Alerts

Rip Current alerts remain across the Jersey Shores and Long Island, and High Surf Advisories remain into Saturday along much of the New England coastlines.

There have been no reports of missing swimmers as of Saturday morning, but lifeguards cautioned against going into the water, especially during one of the final weekends of summer, with many coastal communities busy with visitors.

Atlantic Seaboard dodges direct hit

The U.S. avoided a direct strike from Hurricane Erin this week but still caused significant disruptions up and down the coast.

Erin, which reached Category 5 intensity while north of the Caribbean, came within about 200 miles of North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Thursday, causing overwash to swamp roadways and erode protective dunes.

Videos and photos taken Friday morning along North Carolina’s Highway 12 – the main thoroughfare through the Outer Banks – showed long stretches of the coastal highway underwater during high tide.

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Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation said Friday morning that Highway 12 would remain closed after two dune breaches were found, one near the Pea Island Visitor Center north of Rodanthe and the other on Ocracoke Island.

Up the eastern seaboard, FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell found parts of Ocean City, Maryland flooded during high tide Friday morning after a similar scene Thursday evening.

Campbell estimated that there was just over a foot of water in places closest to the Atlantic on Friday.

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Coastal communities still dealing with flooding as Hurricane Erin pulls away

Parts of Ocean City, Maryland flooded during high tide Friday morning even as Hurricane Erin spins away from the East Coast. Coastal flood watches and warnings remain today for parts of the mid-Atlantic and New England. FOX Weather Brandy Campbell has the latest conditions.

While not along the Atlantic Ocean, flooding was seen early Friday morning on Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia caused by the Delaware River, which was experiencing tidal flooding due to Erin.

It was a similar scene in New Jersey on Thursday evening, where authorities reported that low-lying coastal areas did see flooding with the evening’s high tide.

Residents in West Wildwood navigated the inundated streets using surfboards and other small flotation craft, appearing to take the event in stride.

Narragansett, RI - August 21: An angry ocean from the effects of Hurricane Erin churns up huge waves along Scarborough State Beach as the Point Judith Lighthouse rises in the distance on August 21, 2025. 

(Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Some 34 people and six cars were rescued after two restaurants flooded in Margate, New Jersey, Thursday night, according to the local fire department. Patrons were taken out of the flooded area by high-water trucks.

Ahead of the hurricane, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for 21 counties and warned that dangers would persist at least through Friday.

Patrons taken from flooded restaurants by high-water trucks in Margate, New Jersey, Thursday evening.

(Margate Fire Department)

Rough swells hit the south shore of New York's Long Island on Thursday. The ocean overwashed parts of roads along Hampton Bays, a popular summer destination for many in the Northeast.

Meanwhile, flooding swamped part of the Howard Beach neighborhood in Queens, New York, close to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

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The Massachussetts Bay Transportation Authority canceled Lynn, Quincy and Winthrop ferry service due to maritime conditions.

Despite the flooding, officials across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic reported relatively little in the way of significant impacts from Erin.

Cars drive through flooding produced by Hurricane Erin on Long Island

Hurricane Erin's swells created dangerous surf conditions on Thursday which led to dangerous rip currents, flooding and many beaches along the East Coast being closed for swimming. 

Elsewhere in the tropics, the National Hurricane Center said it is monitoring a few disturbances in the Atlantic basin, but the FOX Forecast Center noted that due to the prevailing weather pattern over North America, none of the systems pose a threat to the continental United States.