South Carolina's Grand Strand residents are making hurricane preparations today as Ophelia, a storm which has confounded forecasters for days, menaces the Southeast Coast.

The National Hurricane Center's Richard Knabb said hurricane watches could be issued sometime later today along the coast.

The area around Myrtle Beach appears to be a likely target for Ophelia, which diminished overnight to tropical storm status but is expected to regain hurricane strength today.

On its current forecast track, the hurricane would remain to the east of Charlotte, moving through the Sandhills of the Carolinas. That would keep the heaviest rain and the threat of tornadoes over the eastern third of the state.

But forecasters are cautioning residents throughout the Carolinas to pay attention to the storm's movements.

The official forecast calls for Hurricane Ophelia to make landfall sometime Tuesday morning near Georgetown or Pawleys Island as a Category-2 hurricane, with winds of 95 to 100 mph.

However, that forecast track has changed many times over recent days, and meteorologists say the entire Southeast Coast – from North Carolina to Georgia – is at risk.

At daybreak Saturday, Tropical Storm Ophelia had top sustained winds of 70 mph and was about 350 miles east-southeast of Charleston. The storm is moving away from the coast, but, the hurricane center's Knabb said, "That movement is expected to end, probably within 12 hours."

A strong high pressure system is building to the north, and it is forecast to block Ophelia, then push the storm back toward the coast.

The hurricane center thought Friday night that the storm would come ashore near Charleston, but the track was moved farther north overnight. The current path of Ophelia would put the Myrtle Beach area on the right-front quadrant of the storm – the area that receives the worst damage.

Horry County Emergency Management has moved to "Alert" status and is preparing to move into action, spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said.

Bourcier said this "would be a good time for citizens to review their family hurricane plans, including items that may be needed – like water, batteries, flashlights, etc."

South Carolina Emergency Management in Columbia says it is monitoring the storm and already is contacting departments in various counties across the state.

Emergency officials are operating at Level 4 – the second-highest of five levels used in the state.

A Category-2 hurricane probably would involve some evacuations. The National Hurricane Center's storm surge models show a hurricane of Category-2 strength would cause a storm surge danger along the immediate coast near Myrtle Beach and for large areas of Pawleys Island.

While Ophelia is well offshore Saturday morning, some of its impact already is being felt on land.

The storm is producing large waves which eroded several feet of beach at Hunting Beach State Park near Beaufort on Friday. Dangerous rip tides and large waves are expected today from Wilmington southward, except for the Brunswick County beaches, which face toward the south.

Weather in the Charlotte area and across the western Carolinas is expected to be ideal today and Sunday. Skies will be mostly sunny today and partly sunny Sunday, with continued dry weather. Highs will be in the upper 80's, but humidity levels will be low.

No rain is expected in the area until late Tuesday or Wednesday, with the probable approach of Ophelia. But on the current forecast track, the Charlotte area would receive only scattered showers.