Hurricane Erin won’t make landfall on the Outer Banks but is projected to produce dangerous rip currents along the beaches.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to continue growing in size, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 50 miles from its center.

A westward-moving tropical wave could produce an area of low pressure in the tropical Atlantic late in the week of Aug. 18, the hurricane center said on Aug. 16. The center shows a 20% chance of storm formation over the next week.

The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4,

Hurricane Erin is forecast to remain well offshore but still bring hazardous currents and possible erosion like previous offshore hurricanes before it.

An eyewall replacement cycle is underway within Hurricane Erin as the monster storm continues to barrel across the Atlantic while bringing gusty winds and rain to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after rapidly intensifying into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane over the weekend.