Hurricane Erin battered North Carolina's Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes before slowly moving away.

The Outer Banks are readying for strong impacts from Hurricane Erin offshore in the Atlantic. A Storm Surge Warning is in place for much of the North Carolina coastline. FOX Weather Meteorologist Stev

Beachfront property owners braced for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion. Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.

Local officials issued evacuation orders for parts of the Outer Banks, warning that the storm might wash out roads.

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