Fog and drizzle gradually lift by midday. A passing storm is possible later today. "Erin" impacts felt Thursday.

Beaches along the New Jersey coast and in Delaware were closed Tuesday as the powerful storm churned in the Atlantic. New York City announced its beaches would close on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tropical storm watches expand from the Virginia beaches to Fenwick Island, Delaware, and include Ocean City, Maryland.

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

Erin, a sprawling Category 2 hurricane, is not forecast to make landfall but will impact much of the East Coast with dangerous coastal conditions as it tracks north, nearly paralleling the coast. Bermuda will face similar conditions to the storm's east.

Every week in the summer, Delaware Online/The News Journal provides this weekly guide to the Delaware beaches. Here's what's happening this week. Hurricane Erin isn't expected to make landfall, but the magnitude of the storm means that even as it passes hundreds of miles offshore, its effects will be felt along the coast.

Philadelphia's weather on Wednesday will be cloudy and feature some scattered showers — and even potentially thunderstorms — not connected to Hurricane Erin.We're seeing some rain in the early morning and another round of precipitation could pop up in the mid-afternoon.

Hurricane Erin is already creating dangerous beach conditions in New Jersey and Delaware on Tuesday, with the worst of the waves and rip currents not expected until Thursday. From Point Pleasant to Rehoboth Beach,