(AP) -- A hurricane watch has been issued for most of the North Carolina coast ahead of Hurricane Earl.
Earl is a Category 4 storm with winds near 135 mph (215 kph).
It's about 1,000 miles (1,605 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the North Carolina coast from north of Surf City to Duck.
A tropical storm watch, which means weaker winds are expected, is in effect from Cape Fear northeast to Surf City.
People from Virginia north to New England are also being urged to monitor Earl's progress.
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