A tropical storm warning has been issued for North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns up the east coast of the U.S. as a Category 2 storm.

The Tropical Storm Watch is extended northward along the U.S. Atlantic coast, and now stretches from Duck to Chincoteague. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect south of Duck, to Beaufort Inlet, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.

Hurricane Erin's higher tides and big waves are battering much of the East Coast, with the huge storm prompting the expansion of tropical storm and coastal flooding advisories Wednesday. Beachfront property owners are bracing for the worst amid predictions of a storm surge of up to 4 feet and significant coastal erosion.