Hurricane Erin on Monday bulked back up, but then dropped back down, although still a major Category 3 storm as it moved near the Bahamas with an increasing wind field that prompted new tropical

Tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding are expected to appear in areas along the Outer Banks starting late Wednesday.

Hurricane Erin has weakened into a category 2 hurricane after reaching category 4 strength yesterday. It is currently moving northwest as it sits just above the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

After rapidly intensifying into a Category 5 storm on Saturday, Hurricane Erin has since been downgraded to a Category 4 system with sustained winds of 130 mph. However, it is expected to intensify and grow in size over the next few days.

Despite changes in intensity, Erin’s size will drive dangerous surf and massive seas along much of the United States East Coast, as well as Atlantic Canada and Bermuda waters.

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.

Hurricane Erin underwent rapid intensification to become a Category 5 storm in just hours. It has since weakened to a Category 4 status.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to “substantially grow in size” while moving closer to Bermuda Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (mph). The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that the category three hurricane was about 675 miles south west of Bermuda and that a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands,