Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns up the east coast of the U.S. as a Category 2 storm.

Two homes on North Carolina's Outer Banks sit precariously in high waves generated by Hurricane Erin with their days seemingly numbered.

Residents across North Carolina’s Outer Banks and coast braced for flooding from storm surge and powerful winds Wednesday as Hurricane Erin churned hundreds of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean.

As the edges of Hurricane Erin get closer to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, much attention has been placed on Highway 12, a roughly 150-mile-long byway that connects that state’s islands and peninsulas. It is beloved by locals and tourists because of its scenic views of the ocean, sand dunes and old lighthouses.

Even before storm surge warnings were issued in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, ocean overwash started inundating shoresides homes and hotels. Transportation crews hustled to shore up dunes in the hopes of at least delaying the wash out of the critical road in and out of the area – Highway 12.

The outer bands of Hurricane Erin are brushing North Carolina's Outer Banks, as beachgoers along most U.S. East Coast shores are being warned against swimming due to the risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday night.

Locals on the Outer Banks are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Erin's path as it edges past the North Carolina coast. (AP video by Allen G. Breed)

Drone footage is giving us a dramatic look at the early storm surge from Hurricane Erin in North Carolina’s barrier islands. Watch this video for the latest on how bad things are expected to get and see how waves have already surrounded and pushed past homes.