NEW YORK (WABC) — Beaches remain closed to swimming on Friday as strong rip currents from Hurricane Erin continue to create dangerous conditions.
Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for New Jersey on Thursday afternoon as Hurricane Erin battered coastal communities with strong winds and waves that flooded streets and eroded beaches.
Beaches will be open but swimming will still be off limits in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island.
Lifeguards and Parks Department enforcement patrol will be at beaches to ensure no one gets into the water.
Although officials have been warning people to be cautious and stay out of the ocean, surfers were seen in the water Thursday.
Scott Klossner, who lives nearby, said conditions were great for experienced surfers.
“You wait all year round for these kinds of waves. It’s challenging, really hard to stay in one place because there’s a heavy, heavy, heavy rip,” he said. “But this is what surfers want – a hurricane that comes but doesn’t destroy my house? I’ll take that.”
Murphy warned that “life-threatening rip currents will be present at all ocean beaches across the state” for the next few days.
“Absolutely no one should be in the water today or tomorrow,” he wrote on social media.
He said winds could reach 50 mph, waves could be as high as 17 feet, and 1 to 3 feet of water could inundate some flood-prone areas.
Anthony Johnson reports from Belmar.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported early Friday that Erin had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph), and was located about 425 miles (680 kilometers) south-southwest of Halifax, Novia Scotia.
Despite being twice the size of an average hurricane, Erin so far has managed to thread the needle through the Atlantic between the East Coast and several island nations, limiting its destructiveness.
NEW YORK CITY
In New York City, swimming at all city beaches will remain prohibited on Friday due to dangerous rip currents and large breaking waves caused by Erin.
Jaysha Patel reports from Long Beach.
Beaches were at first closed to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday. Wading is also not allowed, officials said.
Lifeguards watch as surfers ride waves bolstered by Hurricane Erin at Rockaway Beach in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.
Seth Wenig
LONG ISLAND
Widespread, moderate coastal flooding was forecast for parts of the city and low-lying areas of Long Island.
It was a day about the “spray” anywhere along the South Shore of Long Island. The Atlantic Ocean was putting on a show.
“I love it. This is the thing we live for, we love to take pictures,” Theresa Leon of Commack said.
But the waves were just as unpredictable as they were powerful, so if you’re looking for that perfect shot, you had to be quick.
Lots of spectators came out as the ocean had them both mesmerized and concerned about the beaches.
At Long Beach, surfers were allowed to surf at their own risk, but with a leash.
CeFaan Kim is in Long Beach where lifeguards were busy making rescues.
Swimming is prohibited in the ocean, but people were allowed on the beach until 11 p.m. Beachgoers past that hour will be removed by Long Beach Police.
At Jones Beach in Nassau County, they were moving sand around after a tremendous amount of coastal flooding.
Executives of both Nassau and Suffolk counties spoke at a joint press conference pledging to pool resources to better weather the unpredictable together.
“We have a great working relationship with Suffolk County. We share assets, we share information,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
“Yes, this hurricane avoided us. Yes, at the last moment it turned east, but had it turned west… this is some serious storm,” Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine said.
NORTH CAROLINA
On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, waves breached dunes in the town of Kill Devil Hills on Thursday evening, and water and sand pooled on Highway 12.
Although damage assessments were still underway, the low-lying islands appeared to have dodged widespread trouble.
The Outer Banks – essentially sand dunes sticking out of the ocean a few feet above sea level – are vulnerable to erosion. Storm surges can cut through them, washing tons of sand and debris onto roads and sometimes breaking up pavement and creating new inlets.
The dunes and beach took a beating the last two days, but Dare County Manager Bobby Outten said there have been no new inlets with Erin or significant structural damage to homes or businesses.
“All in all it’s not as bad as it could have been,” Outten said. “Hopefully the worst of it is behind us.”
On Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, where sustained winds reached 45 mph (72 kph), dozens of onlookers snapped photos of the huge waves crashing into the structure amid driving rain.
“This is nature at her best,” Nags Head resident David Alan Harvey said. “I love this. I love these storms.”
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Some information from the Associated Press
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