Hurricane Erin is expected to bring large waves, rough surf and life-threatening rip currents from Florida to Canada

Erin, which became a Category 5 hurricane Saturday morning in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean, but has now weakened to a Category 2.

After rapidly intensifying into a Category 5 storm on Saturday, Hurricane Erin has since been downgraded to a Category 4 system with sustained winds of 130 mph. However, it is expected to intensify and grow in size over the next few days.

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy the last hurrahs of summer along the coast were met with rip current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inched closer Wednesday.

Even though Erin is expected to stay hundreds of miles offshore, its impacts are forecast to worsen as it crawls northward and makes its closest approach to the U.S. mainland. Erin was generating waves of 35 feet or more at an ocean buoy east-northeast of the Bahamas on Aug. 19, creating swells and stirring up a broad swath of the ocean.

The National Hurricane Center is urging beachgoers to stay out of the water. Parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks are under mandatory evacuation orders.

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

ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida will be breezy and warm on Wednesday with lower chances for rain and storms. Our area will see some fast-moving showers with high temperatures in the low 90s Wednesday afternoon. Winds will blow from the north-northwest at speeds of 10 to 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph.