Powerful Hurricane Erin is expected to bring high seas, big rip currents, and rough surf as it moves between the United States and Bermuda.

Forecasts nudge Erin's likely path to the west, increasing the risks at U.S. beaches. Tropical storm conditions are expected in North Carolina's Outer Banks starting late Wednesday.

Two more tropical systems trail Hurricane Erin, which is following a projected course that brushes past the East Coast without making landfall.

NCDOT officials said "given the winds, wave heights and storm surge forecast, it likely won't be enough" to keep NC 12 from flooding at the Outer Banks.

"Extreme beach and coastal damage is likely along the oceanside, resulting in a significant threat to life and property," weather forecasters said about a Hurricane Erin impact on the OBX and other North Carolina coastal areas.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.