Hurricane Erin is building far out in the Atlantic Ocean, but the impact of the storm extends far beyond its center.

At its closest, Erin will be hundreds of miles from the Massachusetts coast, so it will not be making landfall in New England. But, Erin's enormity and strength will cause problems along the East Coast.

Hurricane Erin rip currents

Life-threatening rip currents are forecast from the Carolinas to Massachusetts through the end of the week. In fact, the rip current risk will only worsen at beaches in the next few days.

Rip currents are powerful, swirling channels of fast-moving water that can pull even experienced swimmers out to sea in a few seconds. Swimmers should only enter the water where lifeguards are standing by and to heed all red flag warnings at beaches.

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