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

Rip currents are the third leading cause of deaths from hurricanes, and they can happen on a sunny day hundreds of miles from the storm.

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.

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.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service of New Orleans said Monday that tropical activity is not expected across south Louisiana for at least the next 10 days.

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 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