Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane during the early hours of Aug. 19 as it moves closer to the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued from north of the North Carolina/Virginia border to Chincoteague, Virginia. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia, including Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.

Two other tropical waves in the tropical Atlantic also bear watching, but models show limited support for development this week.

Hurricane Erin is expected to bring large ocean swells and life-threatening rip currents to North Carolina's coast. Coastal flooding, river rise and road washout are also possible. Waves could reach between 20 to 25 feet high.

Hurricane Erin on Monday bulked back up, but then dropped back down, although still a major Category 3 storm as it moved near the Bahamas with an increasing wind field that prompted new tropical

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.

"The core of Erin is expected to pass to the east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and tonight," the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to continue growing in size, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 50 miles from its center.