Erin remains a major hurricane, as the storm begins its path north off the east coast

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Hurricane Erin became a major hurricane over the weekend and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The system rapidly intensified from a tropical storm on Friday into a category 5 hurricane Saturday, gaining 90 miles per hour of sustained winds in just a 24 hour period.

As of the latest advisory, Erin is a category 4 storm again with winds of 130 miles per hour. There’s the chance for further strengthening again today to an even stronger category 4 as the system continues its journey north.

Hurricane Erin track (Photo: WWAY)

The official track from the National Hurricane Center calls for Erin to remain hundreds of miles offshore of the Cape Fear, passing between the United States and Bermuda as a category 3 or category 2 storm on Wednesday into Thursday.

Although the system won’t bring any major impacts to the Carolinas, the beaches will see higher waves and a high rip current risk for much of the week. Waves of 4 to 6 feet are possible Wednesday and Thursday, as Erin makes its closest pass.

Wind gusts are the secondary impact from Erin, but gusts should only top out at 20 to 25 miles per hour.

Local Erin impacts (Photo: WWAY)

Otherwise, heavy rain is not expected as the rain bands from the hurricane stay well offshore. There is no severe weather threat either.

Stay tuned to the StormTrack 3 weather team on air and online for the very latest updates and forecast on Erin and any storm this hurricane season.