Florida warns of dangerous weather as Hurricane Erin approaches, with advisories for high surf and rip currents issued.

Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm Monday morning and is expected to retain major hurricane status through the middle of the week.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking an area of interest in the eastern Atlantic for possible development. Chances increased on Monday afternoon. This is in addition to Hurricane Erin, which is anticipated to remain offshore of the Eastern U.S. coast.

Hurricane Erin is now a Category 2 storm. The storm will start to make its way up the U.S. east coast on Tuesday.

A hurricane's category only measures wind speed, not how far those winds extend from the center. The size of a storm's wind field is crucial for predicting storm surge and overall reach.

Hurricane Erin stays offshore but brings rip currents, high surf and gusty winds to East Coast beaches through Friday. Follow Newsweek's live blog.