(CNN) -- Hurricane Earl was making its presence known Wednesday despite being hundreds of miles from the East Coast, menacing swimmers with dangerous rip currents and large swells as forecasters expanded a hurricane watch northward from North Carolina into coastal Virginia.
Mandatory evacuations were issued for Okracoke Island, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, and Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Earl lost some of its punch early Wednesday and was downgraded to a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph). However, it was still a major hurricane, and forecasters said more fluctuations in intensity were possible in the next 48 hours. Tracking maps show Earl approaching the North Carolina coast early Friday as a Category 3 storm.
As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Earl was located about 815 miles (1,315 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northwest at about 16 mph (26 kph).
A hurricane watch, already in effect for portions of the North Carolina coast, was extended northward early Wednesday and was in effect from Surf City, North Carolina, to Virginia's Parramore Island, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph, are possible. "A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous," the hurricane center said.
"My guess is, they're going to upgrade those to warnings before the day is done," said CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
CNN
