Hurricane Erin brings swells to Florida. It's ideal for surfing but dangerous for beachgoers who see blue skies, but don't realize the dangers.

Hurricane Erin's impacts are already underway across the Southeast, bringing dangerous surf and strong rip currents along Florida's East Coast beaches.

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

Forecasters in North Carolina are becoming increasingly concerned about life-threatening impacts from Hurricane Erin along the Outer Banks, including strong winds and massive waves that could cause "extreme" damage to beach and coastal areas, as well as a storm surge that has the potential to be a "significant threat to life and property."

According to a 5 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center on Aug. 20, Erin is located about 455 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph with higher gusts.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic on the heels of Hurricane Erin that could strengthen into a depression later this week.