Hurricane Erin is bringing strong waves and life-threatening rip currents to the Atlantic coast, including Florida, leading to warnings in some areas as the storm moves east of the U.S. over the Atlantic.

Although the storm is expected to stay offshore, it will produce dangerous surf conditions for much of the Atlantic Coast this week, forecasters say.

Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area Wednesday through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.