Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area this week, according to the National Hurricane Center. The sprawling Category 4 storm is churning in the Atlantic Monday after exploding in strength at a historic rate this weekend fueling the potential for life-threatening rip currents and towering waves toward the eastern US coastline and Bermuda,

Hurricane Erin, a Category 4 storm, is churning offshore and expected to cause dangerous beach conditions in Jacksonville, Florida.

The hurricane's outer rain bands have started to affect the Bahamas, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.