Early Monday, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as it approached the southeastern Bahamas, the NHC reported.

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

Brief: Tropical Storm Erin is likely to become a hurricane in the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center on Aug. 12.

Hurricane Erin was creating potentially deadly water conditions all along the East Coast days before the largest waves are expected, even as the strength of the storm weakened on Tuesday. Erin lost some strength and dropped to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph),

Dangerous coastal impacts from Hurricane Erin will peak along the East Coast on Wednesday and Thursday as the storm passes offshore.