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

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.

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm Monday morning and is expected to retain major hurricane status through the middle of the week.

Forecasters are confident it will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.