Hurricane Erin has weakened to a Category 1 storm after lashing North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding, and bringing a threat of dangerous waves and potentially deadly rip currents to the East Coast.

A handful of Jersey Shore beaches have opened for swimming and surfing, but most are closed due to dangerous rip current advisories.

New York and North Carolina have begun reopening beaches that had been closed due to Hurricane Erin. The storm sent strong winds and dangerous waves across the U.S.