Hurricane Erin is bringing intense, tropical storm-force winds to areas along the East Coast, although forecasters say the hurricane will “remain well offshore.”

Nonetheless, life-threatening surf and rip currents “will be churning up and down the East Coast” over the next couple of days, according to the National Weather Service.

Several beaches in and around Maryland are limiting access because of winds and deadly rip currents that Hurricane Erin is generating.

The Town of Ocean City has restricted public access to the ocean “until further notice.” The wide sand beaches remain open.

“Due to strong waves and dangerous rip currents, we are prohibiting swimming and surfing in the ocean,” Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said in a statement. ”This proactive step was taken to protect the safety of residents, visitors, and first responders."

Similarly, all oceanside beaches at the Assateague Island National Seashore are closed. Rehoboth Beach in Delaware is under a double red flag, meaning swimming in the ocean is prohibited and swimming at nearby Bethany Beach is also prohibited.

Maryland weather

Tropical storm-force winds could reach Maryland’s beaches overnight Thursday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. Almost the entire East Coast, from Florida to Long Island, is under a “high” risk for rip currents — including all of coastal Maryland and Delaware.

The Baltimore region has a chance of storms Wednesday and Wednesday night, with a chance of rain showers Thursday.

Anne Arundel County is under a coastal flood advisory Thursday morning, from 1-8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said up to 18 inches of inundation above ground level is expected in low-lying areas due to tidal flooding along the shoreline.

Friday and Saturday are forecast to be sunny with highs in the low 80s, according to the National Weather Service.

Biggest storm risk

Hurricane Erin is posing an especially large risk to the Outer Banks, the thin barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina.

National Weather Service forecasters said Wednesday morning that the storm could bring life-threatening storm surge and significant erosion to the Outer Banks, “leaving some roads impassible.”

Mandatory evacuations were ordered on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. More than 1,800 people had left Ocracoke by ferry since Monday.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein warned coastal residents to be prepared to evacuate and declared a state of emergency Tuesday. Bulldozers shored up the dunes, and trucks from the local power company on Ocracoke were on hand to respond to downed wires.

The Outer Banks’ thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands jutting into the Atlantic is increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. There are concerns that parts of the main highway could be washed out, leaving some routes impassible for days. And dozens of beach homes already worn down from chronic beach erosion and the loss of protective dunes could be at risk, said David Hallac, superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Farther south, no evacuations were ordered, but some beach access points were closed with water levels up to 3 feet (1 meter) over normal high tides expected for several days.

Climate scientists say Atlantic hurricanes are now much more likely to rapidly intensify into powerful and catastrophic storms fueled by warmer oceans. Two years ago Hurricane Lee grew with surprising speed while barreling offshore through the Atlantic, unleashing violent storms and rip currents.

Allan G. Breed and John Seewer of the Associated Press contributed to this article.