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

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

Hurricane Erin is forecast to "substantially grow in size" as it moves across the western Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Outer bands from Hurricane Erin could lash the North Carolina coastline with tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rain as it passes by the Outer Banks, where a Tropical Storm Watch and a Storm Surge Watch were issued.

Forecasts nudge Erin's likely path to the west, increasing the risks at U.S. beaches. Experts say the storm's massive size, rather than windspeed, is what makes it a threat.

Hurricane Erin on Monday bulked back up, but then dropped back down, although still a major Category 3 storm as it moved near the Bahamas with an increasing wind field that prompted new tropical

While Erin is expected to take a northward turn in the Atlantic, a new system off the coast of Africa has the National Hurricane Center's attention.

The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.