A new system has emerged in the eastern tropical Atlantic, heading westward toward the Leeward Islands as Hurricane Erin continues to spin.

Hurricane Erin remains a major hurricane and a turn to the north is expected Tuesday into Wednesday. The wind field around Erin is starting to expand with tropical storm force winds extending outwards about 230 miles. You can see the forecast chance of seeing tropical storm force winds in the days ahead.

This past weekend, Hurricane Erin went through one of the most rapid intensifications of any Atlantic hurricane on record. Climate change and other factors may make such leaps more common in

Forecasters are confident that Erin will turn northeast and away from the eastern U.S., but it’s still expected to produce dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina coast, said Dave Roberts of the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters are tracking a new disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean as Hurricane Erin, a Category 5 storm, undergoes an eyewall replacement cycle, according to a Saturday night update from the National Hurricane Center.

Much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks region is under a tropical storm watch with Hurricane Erin expected to skirt the area Wednesday through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.