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.

Videos show massive waves lashing abandoned homes on North Carolina's Outer Banks as the storm passes the U.S.

Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches have been issued for portions of North Carolina’s Outer Banks as extremely dangerous Hurricane Erin continues to barrel across the Atlantic as a major Category 4 hurricane.

As the state experienced a “ year without a summer ,” it was blanketed with an “unusually early frost” on Aug. 22, 1816. The frost ushered in periods of drought, rain and cold, adding to that year’s hardship, according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Erin made its up the coast out at sea. Erin made a turn to the northeast and was finally moving away from the United States as a weakened Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.