Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane but is gaining in size and raising the risk of life-threatening surf later this week along the U.S.

A disturbance in the Atlantic following Hurricane Erin is now expected to track northward, according to NHC data.

Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to pass over Puerto Rico late Tuesday night, which could bring flooding, landslides and power outages. The island has closed schools and opened shelters.

While Erin won't hit the U.S. directly, the storm's biggest impact on the East Coast will be along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where coastal flood watches, tropical storm watches and storm surge watches are in effect. The storm surge could be as high as 4 feet.

Bill Kelly has the latest NEXT Weather forecast for the Philadelphia region on Tuesday night.

Forecasts nudge Erin's likely path to the west, increasing the risks at U.S. beaches. Tropical storm conditions are expected in North Carolina's Outer Banks starting late Wednesday.

NOAA's GOES-19 satellite captured images of Hurricane Erin as it developed in the Atlantic and then rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 storm.

Hurricane Erin threatened the East Coast with dangerous rip currents as the large storm was expected to grow while moving on a projected path up the Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center in Mi