Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area this week, according to the National Hurricane Center. The sprawling Category 4 storm is churning in the Atlantic Monday after exploding in strength at a historic rate this weekend fueling the potential for life-threatening rip currents and towering waves toward the eastern US coastline and Bermuda,

According to a new update from the Met Office, Storm Erin may affect weather the UK in the latter part of the month, bringing intense winds and heavy rain.

According to NHC, a Storm Surge Watch means, "A possibility of life- threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours."