Hurricane Erin weakened to a category 3 hurricane during the early hours of Aug. 19 as it moves closer to the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm has already prompted evacuation orders on North Carolina's Outer Banks and warnings about dangerous rip currents and swells along the East Coast.

Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches have been issued for portions of North Carolina’s Outer Banks as extremely dangerous Hurricane Erin continues to barrel across the Atlantic as a major Category 4 hurricane.

A new video shows incredible views of Erin from satellites and the United States Air Force's Hurricane Hunters.

The National Hurricane Center is watching two areas of interest in the Atlantic behind Erin. Here's the latest on what may happen next.

On Hurricane Erin is crawling past the Bahamas as a strong Category 2 storm and is due to head toward the Carolinas and then veer northeast over the open Atlantic Ocean. Although the storm’s eye may never come within 300 miles of the mainland U.

Hurricane Erin stays offshore but brings rip currents, high surf and gusty winds to East Coast beaches through Friday. Follow Newsweek's live blog.