Life-threatening waves forecast along NC coast as Hurricane Epsilon churns ocean

Large swells from Hurricane Epsilon is creating dangerous surf and rip currents off North Carolina, prompting warnings for the state’s most popular beaches.

A buoy 17 miles off Cape Point near the Diamond Shoals was reporting waves had more than doubled in size in one day, going from 5 feet Thursday to more than 12 feet at dawn Friday, according to the National Buoy Data Center.

The surge is expected to peak later in the day Friday and remain heavy through the weekend, before dropping back to about 4 feet early next week, according to the National Hurricane Center. Areas along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, south of Cape Lookout, face the greatest risk, officials said.

Rip current warnings have been posted for all beaches on the Outer Banks and areas as far south as North Topsail Beach, the National Weather Service reports.

“Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” the NWS warned early Friday.

Hurricane Epsilon was 195 miles east-northeast of Bermuda Friday morning and moving north at only 7 mph, a slight drop from its 8 mph speed in the predawn hours, the National Hurricane Center reported. The storm’s sustained winds are 85 mph, “with higher gusts,” the National Hurricane Center says.

The storm is not expected to make landfall, though outer bands of wind and rain will likely skirt the coast of Canada. The winds are not expected to impact the Outer Banks, and flooding is not in the forecast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“Epsilon remains a large storm system. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 255 miles (405 km),” the center reported Friday.

The storm will likely begin a gradual weakening on Saturday, experts say.