Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds on Monday night as it passed to the east of the Bahamas. The forecast track keeps the center of the storm well away from the U.S. East Coast this week, but tropical storm and storm surge watches have been issued for the North Carolina Outer Banks. National Hurricane Center

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.

The Bermuda Weather Service [BWS] has issued a Tropical Storm Watch, and noted that Hurricane Erin is “a potential threat to Bermuda” with its nearest forecasted point to the island being 320 nm to the north-west at 10pm on Thursday [August 21] with the BWS noting that “this forecast is subject to change with the next update.