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Forecasters are confident that Erin will turn northeast and away from the eastern U.S., but it's still expected to churn up dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina's Outer Banks, said Dave Roberts of the National Hurricane Center.

Evacuations were beginning Monday on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks, the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that juts far into the Atlantic.

There are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway running along the barrier islands, the National Weather Service said.

But there were no signs of panic on Hatteras Island, said Angela Tawes, a co-owner of Conner’s Supermarket. “It’s so beautiful outside. It’s hard for people to feel like there’s a hurricane coming when it’s so gorgeous,� she said.

Erin, the year’s first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. While Erin is expected to remain a large, major hurricane into midweek and impact coastal areas, it isn’t forecast to make direct landfall.

“You’re dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It’s a dangerous hurricane in any event,� the hurricane center's Richard Pasch said.

Early Monday, the storm was located about 115 miles (190 kilometers) north-northeast of Grand Turk Island and about 890 miles (1,430 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

The Bahamas government issued a tropical storm watch for the central Bahamas, while a warning remained in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeast Bahamas, the hurricane center said.

Erin’s outer bands pelted parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds on Sunday.

Scientists have linked the in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.