H urricane Erin, now a Category 2 hurricane, has prompted a tropical storm watch for North Carolina's Outer Banks and is expected to bring dangerous waves and rip currents to beaches along the East Coast. While the storm won't make landfall on the East Coast, it has prompted mandatory evacuations for some Outer Banks residents and visitors.

Hurricane Erin weakened overnight but remains a major hurricane, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

Evacuations were being ordered on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island along North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the storm is unlikely to make direct landfall.