"Swells generated by the hurricane will continue to affect the [U.S. East Coast] through the early part of this week," the National Hurricane Center warned.

Churning hundreds of miles from the continental U.S., Hurricane Ernesto has kept the nation's Atlantic coastline treacherous for several days as its expansive rip currents threaten to drag beachgoers out to sea – a hazard experts say is not that unusual.

Ernesto was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday night, with the National Hurricane Center warning of dangerous conditions for East Coast beaches. The hurricane -- which over the past week has caused major power outages and flooding in Puerto Rico and Bermuda-- is out over the Atlantic,