Hurricane Erin's impacts are already underway across the Southeast, bringing dangerous surf and strong rip currents along Florida's East Coast beaches.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm Monday morning and is expected to retain major hurricane status through the middle of the week.

Hurricane Erin is tracking northwest between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda, bringing dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents to Florida and the Carolinas through midweek.

According to a 5 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center on Aug. 20, Erin is located about 455 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph with higher gusts.

A massive Hurricane Erin churns off the East Coast, bringing dangerous waves to vulnerable areas along the North Carolina coast. Here's the latest.

Conditions along the coast are expected to deteriorate Wednesday as Hurricane Erin moves north-northwest off Florida.

Swells generated by Erin will affect the Bahamas, Bermuda, the east coast of the United States, and Atlantic Canada during the next several days. These rough ocean conditions will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip currents. Currently, rough surf and rip currents are the main threats to the U.S.