The brunt of Hurricane Isabel likely will miss the Grand Strand when it hits the East Coast midweek, only kicking up the waves and wind here, a coastal forecaster said Sunday.

The latest forecasts have Isabel, still an intense Category 4 with 155 mph winds, headed toward the coast between the extreme Northeastern corner of North Carolina and New Jersey, putting mid-Atlantic states including Virginia and Maryland at risk for one of the worst storms they've seen in years, said Tim Armstrong, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

If the path doesn't change, the Grand Strand will be at least 300 miles away from the 40 mph winds along Isabel's edges, he said.

Waves could be stronger than usual.

"Wednesday night and Thursday might be a little breezy," Armstrong said. "Unless somebody told you there was a hurricane out there, you may not know it. But definitely we are not out of the woods yet."

Forecasters stress it's still early, and hurricanes can be unpredictable and change suddenly. The storm was about 850 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., as of 11 p.m. Sunday and moving west-northwest at 13 mph. Little change in strength is forecast for today, and a gradual turn toward the northwest is expected.

With the storm looking as though it will pass the Grand Strand, residents and tourists are showing more patience than panic.

Darryl Bellamy of Longs had planned to stop by the store Sunday afternoon to pick up water and batteries but decided to wait until it's clearer whether Isabel will hit Horry County.

"Then we'll see if we are going to have to run," he said. "I hope it doesn't hit nobody, but I'd rather it not hit me."

Victor and Rainelle Weaber of Forestbrook already have their hurricane kit ready in case the storm changes course and heads for the S.C. coast.

They keep a storm kit, loaded with flashlights and a radio and other necessities, in a plastic bin at home.

Hotels have gotten calls from tourists asking about refund policies and the weather, but few cancellations. On Sunday, the Polynesian Beach & Golf Resort started advertising a "Walk-in Isabel special" on the hotel's sign.

"I don't see a lot of people worried about it," said Danielle Litton, a front-desk worker at the Polynesian. "They are all wanting to know what the weather is and what is going to happen. That's the biggest thing."

Steve Caron wasn't letting the storm dampen his vacation.

Caron, who lives in Greensboro, N.C., learned to live with hurricanes as a resident of Tampa, Fla.

"If it gets bad," Caron said, "we'll go home."

Karen Denner wasn't taking any chances, leaving Wal-Mart with a cart loaded with groceries and jugs of water.

But even Denner was skeptical about it hitting the Grand Strand.

"I think it's going to miss us," she said. "But if it does [hit], I'm gone."