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Hurricane Earl made its presence known Wednesday despite being hundreds of miles from the East Coast of the U.S., menacing swimmers with dangerous rip currents and large swells as forecasters expanded a hurricane watch northward from North Carolina into coastal Virginia.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for Ocracoke Island, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, and Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Dare County Emergency Management officials issued a mandatory evacuation order Wednesday for all visitors to Hatteras Island, effective immediately.

Earl lost some of its punch early Wednesday and was downgraded to a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (200 kph). However, it was still a major hurricane, and forecasters said more fluctuations in intensity were possible in the next 48 hours. Tracking maps show Earl approaching the North Carolina coast early Friday as a Category 3 storm.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Earl was located about 180 miles (800 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northwest at about 16 mph (25 kph).

A hurricane watch, already in effect for portions of the North Carolina coast, was extended northward early Wednesday and was in effect from Surf City, North Carolina, to Virginia's Parramore Island, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.