TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- The tropical storm meandering off Florida's east coast grew into Hurricane Ophelia on Thursday, pounding away at the beaches and forcing officials to shut down a stretch of seaside State Road A1A.

Ophelia became the seventh hurricane of the season, with top sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 storm. It is one of three hurricanes currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean during this historic storm season.

Local emergency officials are waiting for it to make its move.

The Beaufort County Emergency Management Department is in a state of "increased readiness," meaning authorities are making sure supplies and personnel are prepared in case of a hurricane.

The storm is tracking a bit farther east offshore than expected, said meteorologist Paul Yura with the National Weather Service in Charleston.

The sluggish storm, which essentially hasn't moved in the past two days, has continued to confound experts, who used a circle instead of the usual cone to show the hurricane's potential path.

"The only reason you don't see a cone is because it's moving so slowly," said Eric Blake, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center west of Miami. "The models are still all over the place."

Experts expect the storm to take a northeasterly turn during the next two to three days and then possibly head back toward Florida sometime next week. If it hits Florida, it would become the third hurricane to strike the state this year and the seventh in the past 13 months.

"But there is still room for loops and wobbles," said Jack Beven, a hurricane specialist with the center. "It's really too early to say for sure where it'll go."

Although it was meandering about 75 miles off Brevard County late Thursday, Ophelia's effects were being felt in several coastal counties with periods of heavy rainfall, dangerous rip currents and beach erosion.

Curtis Carson of New Smyrna Beach took his nieces to the shore to watch the waves. While the girls played in the sea-foam spray, Carson said he planned to leave town if the storm intensified and threatened the state.

"After watching what happened in New Orleans, I won't ever take a chance," he said.

Local impacts aren't expected to be major, but as it gains strength, meteorologists will be keeping a close eye on where it ends up.

"This is something we'll be watching into next week," Yura said.

Forecasts for the Lowcountry predict a slight chance of rain over the weekend. Surf conditions are expected to be rough, with high waves and rip currents.

Wind gusts up to 50 mph and waves as high as 10 feet were expected to batter the beaches for the next several days.

"It's rough and nasty out there," said Scott Petersohn, captain of the Volusia County Beach Patrol. "The ocean is like a washing machine on the agitation cycle."