Hurricane Erin is expected to impact the Outer Banks in North Carolina, sending massive waves crashing into the islands.

Hurricane Erin fluctuated in intensity on Monday and expanded in size as people fled North Carolina's Outer Banks.

By Tuesday morning, Erin had lost some strength from previous days and dropped to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Evacuation orders were issued in North Carolina Tuesday as Hurricane Erin continued to swirl upward across the Atlantic Ocean and two disturbances followed behind it.

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

Hurricane Erin continues to track along the Atlantic Coast this week. It has encountered some wind shear and dry air along its northwest flank, and that has impacted the structure of the storm. The storm has also slowed down since the weekend.

Though Hurricane Erin is not forecast to make landfall on the U.S., the storm’s rapid intensification has prompted increased measures in North Carolina.

Hurricane Erin is expected to grow in size and strength as it moves north through the Atlantic this week. Forecasters expect it to pass well offshore of North Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday, but say it likely will cause coastal flooding and erosion, along with dangerous rip currents. National Hurricane Center

Officials at the Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, reported to the National Weather Service rescuing at least 60 swimmers from rip currents Monday.

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified last week, going from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph in a matter of hours.