Hurricane Erin is marching north, lashing North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding, and bringing a threat of dangerous waves and potentially deadly rip currents to the East Coast.

Locals on the Outer Banks are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Erin's path as it edges past the North Carolina coast. (AP video by Allen G. Breed)

The National Hurricane Center warned that “life-threatening” surf and rip currents would affect the Bahamas, Bermuda and beaches up and down the East Coast over the next several days. "Beachgoers are cautioned against swimming at most U.S. East Coast beaches due to life-threatening surf and rip currents," the hurricane center said.

A powerful and sprawling Hurricane Erin continued lashing hundreds of miles of coastline along the Eastern Seaboard with its outer bands Thursday morning, proving a storm of such size doesn't need to make landfall to bring widespread impacts.

Hurricane Erin has battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes.