(This story was updated to add new information.)

Hurricane Erin is moving away from the North Carolina coast Thursday, Aug. 21, but dangerous surf and rip currents are still possible, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Several beach towns in the Wilmington area have issued advisories asking people not to go swimming. Farther up the North Carolina coast, some areas of the Outer Banks have been evacuated.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, Erin was roughly 260 miles east of Cape Hatteras, moving north-northwest at 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, a slight weakening from previous advisories. The center of Erin, still Category 2 strength, is expected to move over the western Atlantic between the United States East Coast and Bermuda through early Friday, Aug. 22.

The N

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