Hurricane Erin hasn’t had to make landfall on the East Coast to batter it.

Churning more than 200 miles offshore Thursday, the storm has brought flooding, life-threatening waves and rip currents and strong winds to coastal communities from Florida to Maine, according to the National Weather Service. Erin rapidly intensified to a Category 5 over the weekend, making it the first major hurricane of what’s forecasted to be a particularly active season .

It has since weakened from the top category to a 2, and while states have seen widespread flooding, destruction has been minimal and no deaths have been reported so far.

But the storm is unusual because of its vast size, with hurricane-force winds spanning a more than 600-mile diameter area. That can mean unexpected consequences in places fa

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