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.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane on Sunday, its outer bands lashing the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, as forecasters warned the storm was rapidly growing in size and would gain new strength.

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.

Tracking Hurricane Erin, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which weakened to a Category 3 storm early Sunday.

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

"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.