Hurricane Erin has begun to move away from the North Carolina coast, the National Hurricane Center said in an Aug. 21 advisory.

As of 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the center of Category 2 Hurricane Erin was located about 400 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., or 560 miles west-southwest of Bermuda, and was tracking to the north-northwest at 13 mph. Erin’s sustained winds were 100 mph, making it a Category 2 storm.

Forecasters predicted the storm would peak Thursday and said it could regain strength but was expected to turn out to sea.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane during the early hours of Aug. 19 as it moves closer to the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Storm surge flooding and tropical storm conditions from Hurricane Erin are forecast for the Outer Banks of North Carolina starting Wednesday evening. At 5 p.

Parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks are under mandatory evacuation orders, as the National Hurricane Center warns that Hurricane Erin could bring tall waves topping 15 to 20 feet.

A new weather map shows a monster storm forming near Florida in the coming days. The maps suggest that the massive storm is expected to hammer multiple regions.