Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, has prompted a state of emergency in North Carolina and is expected to bring dangerous waves and rip currents to beaches along the East Coast.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking three systems in the Atlantic, according to the 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, advisory.

The massive storm is expected to track north-northeast late Wednesday without a direct U.S. hit, although tropical storm force winds gusts, dangerous surf, high waves and rip currents are posing dange...