(This story was updated to add new information.)

After rapidly gaining strength Saturday, Aug. 16, Hurricane Erin weakened some overnight, brinding it back down to a Category 3 storm.

But officials warned that the hurricane remains a potentially dangerous storm that, while still forecast to remain offshore, could bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to much of the U.S. East Coast, including the Cape Fear region, as it gradually turns north. Re-intensification also is a distinct possibility as Erin approaches the Gulf Stream.

In a release , AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said Erin was moving over ocean waters that are hotter than the historical average. These warm waters, combined with little in the way of dry air and wind shear, have created "near perfect" cond

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