The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two areas in the Atlantic Ocean for potential tropical development behind Hurricane Erin, with the closest area to watch expected to to track near Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

The Category 2 hurricane saw its winds weaken to as low as 100 mph on Aug. 19 as its north side battled winds, but the National Hurricane Center said early on Aug. 20 that the storm had reformed an inner eye wall, and a Hurricane Hunter mission this morning is expected to help the center determine if winds have increased in response.

Rough surf conditions and dangerous rip currents have forced many beaches to ban swimming and boogie boarding this week.

Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings have been issued for parts of North Carolina and Virginia Beach and up to Chincoteague.

WPBF 25 First Warning meteorologists are tracking Hurricane Erin, which became a Category 5 hurricane Saturday morning in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean but has now weakened to a Category 2. As of the 8 a.

New York and New Jersey are prepping for Hurricane Erin to make downfall on the U.S. coastline, and while the storm isn't going to make landfall, residents will definitely feel the impact.

Erin developed in the eastern Atlantic, moving westward from the Cabo Verde Islands at about 20 mph (32 km/h). Infrared sensors on NOAA's GOES-19 satellite reveal colder cloud tops and deep convection near the center — signs of a strengthening system feeding on warm ocean waters.