Hermine Churns Offshore, Threatening Northeast With Storm Surge, Rip Tides

— -- Hermine remained a post-tropical cyclone Sunday, as it traveled northeast along the East Coast, carrying the threat of coastal flooding, beach erosion and dangerous rip currents.

Hermine's top sustained winds rose to 70 mph this afternoon, as it moved east-northeast at 6 mph. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, it was centered about 300 miles south southeast of of the east end of Long Island.

ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck says Hermine, which has already brought some of the worst rip currents of the summer, is expected to remain a powerful system off the mid-Atlantic coast for several days.

"Hermine is moving towards the northeast and is expected to turn northward later today, followed by a turn northwestward late Sunday night," says ABC News meteorologist Dan Manzo. "It is during this time period that we expect the most significant impacts from Hermine along the Northeast coastline...Life-threatening storm surge is expected within the next 36 hours from Virginia to Sandy Hook, New Jersey."

Below, Hermine's presence was already visible in Holgate, New Jersey, on Saturday.

Below, images and video via ABC 13 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Looking ahead, Peck says, "While the storm track has shifted to the east, Hermine is still slowing down and will meander for the next few days off the coast. This will continue to bring the threat of coastal flooding during high tides, beach erosion and dangerous rip currents. While these impacts will not be as significant, they remain our biggest concern moving forward for this area."

Moderate to major flooding is expected in Seaside Heights, New Jersey; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Cape May, New Jersey; Lewes, Delaware; and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, during the high tide cycles starting Sunday night and extending into Monday night.

Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, echoed Manzo's immediate concerns, telling The AP, "This is not a beach weekend for anyone in the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast."

States in the Northeast are preparing for Hermine's wrath: New Jersey has declared a state of emergency for Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties. Connecticut governor Daniel Malloy has ordered all state park campgrounds to be closed at noon today. New York governor Andrew Cuomo has activated the state emergency operations center, and coastal Suffolk County on Long Island has declared a state of emergency. New York City beaches are also closed today.

Since Hermine slammed into Florida early Friday as a Category 1 hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit Georgia, thousands have lost power, countless properties have been severely damaged, beaches have been closed, and two deaths have been blamed on the storm.