Hurricane Erin began moving away from the Mid-Atlantic Coast after its outer bands pummeled the North Carolina Outer Banks, but forecasters warned threats to the U.S. East Coast would continue for days after peaking on Thursday evening.

The big picture: The biggest threat from the Category 2 storm was tidal flooding as the "very large" storm system turned northeast, said the National Hurricane Center as it urged beachgoers not to swim at most U.S. East Coast beaches due to "life-threatening" surf and rip conditions.

Threat level: A state of emergency went into effect at 2pm Thursday ET due to expected coastal and flash flooding, dangerous surf warnings and advisories and high winds for several counties across New Jersey, per a statement from the N.J. governor's office. • Thursday eveni

See Full Page