On Wednesday, Hurricane Erin was several hundred miles off the coast of Florida and beginning to push storm surge and deadly rip currents toward the shore. Two other systems may form right behind.

The storm, off North Carolina, was generating life-threatening surf and rip currents and causing beach closures along the East Coast.

Hurricane Erin weakened overnight but remains a major hurricane, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. A major hurricane is one that's a Category 3 or higher, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.