Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday.

The Tropical Storm Watch is extended northward along the U.S. Atlantic coast, and now stretches from Duck to Chincoteague. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect south of Duck, to Beaufort Inlet, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns up the east coast of the U.S. as a Category 2 storm.

Two homes on North Carolina's Outer Banks sit precariously in high waves generated by Hurricane Erin with their days seemingly numbered.

As the edges of Hurricane Erin get closer to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, much attention has been placed on Highway 12, a roughly 150-mile-long byway that connects that state’s islands and peninsulas. It is beloved by locals and tourists because of its scenic views of the ocean, sand dunes and old lighthouses.

Storm surge warnings and tropical storm warnings have been issued in part of North Carolina, and conditions are starting to deteriorate as Erin lurks off the East Coast of the United States.

Hurricane Erin prompts evacuations in the Outer Banks, forcing vacationers to change plans as officials warn of coastal flooding and dangerous rip currents.