Additional strengthening is expected on Monday as Hurricane Erin is forecast to “remain a large and dangerous major hurricane through the middle of this week,” the National Hurricane Center said.

The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.

Early Monday, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as it approached the southeastern Bahamas, the NHC reported.

The Outer Banks in North Carolina are under evacuation warning as Hurricane Erin whips up potentially 20-foot high waves and flooding along the east coast.

Volusia County Ocean Rescue Director Tammy Malphurs spoke with FOX 35's Marley Capper about Hurricane Erin’s impact, stressing the dangers of strong surf and rip currents along the coast. She outlined how crews are monitoring conditions and keeping swimmers safe.

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm again Monday morning and is expected to grow even larger and stronger, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Although Erin is forecast to move north between the U.S. and Bermuda, life-threatening surf and rip currents are likely across the Atlantic coast from Florida to Canada.

After exploding in strength at a historic rate this weekend, Hurricane Erin is now a sprawling Category 4 storm churning in the Atlantic. The storm’s enormous footprint is becoming the biggest concern as it threatens to drive life-threatening rip currents and towering waves toward the eastern US coastline and Bermuda.

Forecasters expect Hurricane Erin, one of the fastest rapidly intensifying storms in history, to bring flooding and dangerous currents as the Category 4 hurricane travels to the U.S. East Coast this week.