A high surf advisory is in effect through Thursday for south-coastal areas as Hurricane Erin's powerful winds churn rough surf and rip currents.

Rip currents are one of the coast’s greatest dangers and account for the most beach rescues every year. Hurricane Erin is bringing the potentially deadly currents to the East Coast this week.

Rip currents off the coast of New Hampshire last week resulted in dozens of rescues on Hampton Beach. Lifeguards at the popular summer destination made 144 rescues over six days, the New Hampshire State Beach Patrol said. There were 51 rescues on Aug. 12 alone.

Erin is a category 3 major hurricane with winds of 115 mph and is located approximately 750 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras as of Tuesday morning.

Calmer waters are expected on Lake Erie Tuesday, offering Northeast Ohio a short break from the choppy conditions that hit Monday and are likely to return Wednesday night.

Hurricane Erin is maintaining its strength as a major hurricane, churning in the Atlantic Ocean and delivering tropical storm force winds to Turks and Caicos and parts of the Bahamas. Erin’s influence will be increasingly felt along the tri-state area’s coastline during the latter half of the week.

On Monday at 3:11 p.m. an updated rip current statement was released by the Nation Service in effect until Wednesday at 8 p.m. for Cape May County.