Island communities off the coast of North Carolina are bracing for flooding ahead of Hurricane Erin, the year’s first Atlantic hurricane.

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

The hurricane’s behavior in recent days makes it one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record.

While the category 4 storm is not expected to make landfall on the U.S. east coast, it will have an impact nonetheless. Dangerous high surf and rip currents are expected from Florida to New England throughout the week.

The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.

Hurricane Erin on Monday bulked back up as a major Category 4 storm with an increasing wind field as it moved near the Bahamas. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center increased the odds a system

Surfers prayed to the wave gods ahead of the competition and Hurricane Erin listened, as she is primed to send big waves to our coastline.

Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane but is gaining in size and is forecast to strengthen anew