Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area Wednesday through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin, a Category 4 storm, is expected to pass between the U.S. and Bermuda, but it’s still expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents off Brevard’s shores.

Erin is expected to produce dangerous surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the East Coast of the U.S., including Florida, and Atlantic Canada next week.

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

Authorities said Erin should begin to slowly weaken on Monday as the storm encounters increased wind shear.