Don’t be fooled by the nice weather, it’s not safe to swim in the ocean this week, New Jersey officials warned. Hurricane Erin will not hit New Jersey, but it will create dangerous rip currents and waves in the double-digits this week,

High surf and dangerous rip currents are likely. People are advised to stay out of the water this week, even when a lifeguard is on duty.

Cape Hatteras, NC — Hurricane Erin continued its northward churn through the Atlantic on Tuesday, threatening dangerous surf and coastal flooding from the Bahamas to the U.S. East Coast, as tropical storm warnings and storm surge alerts were issued for parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of the storm’s closest approach late Wednesday.

“Certainly, Erin is not helping,” said Mike Lee, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. But the surf on Monday primarily was being stirred by strong onshore winds, gusting up to 35 mph, behind a front that came through Sunday night and triggered surprising downpours in parts of the region.

Hurricane Erin​ is forcing some beaches in Massachusetts to close as the storm causes rip currents and strong waves along the coast.

Hurricane Erin lashes Bahamas and Turks and Caicos with winds, rain, and flooding as forecasters track a new Atlantic tropical threat.