The Category 1 hurricane was expected to pass the U.S. mainland well off New England late Saturday, but it was still packing high winds and causing waves that had safety officials urging extreme caution.

Much of the mid-Atlantic coast was under small-craft and high surf advisories Saturday due to the then-Category 2 hurricane, and beaches in New York were closed because of waves and riptides. Farther south, the risk of riptides -- narrow channels of water that surge out to sea -- decreased.

At Ocean City, Md., beaches were open and lifeguards on duty, said Joseph Theobald, the town's director of emergency services. Along some beaches in Delaware and New Jersey, no swimming was allowed. Boaters on the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River were not expected to see unusual waves or tides, said meteorologist Stephen Konarik of the National Weather Service.

A tropical storm warning was issued Saturday for Massachusetts, including the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, meaning tropical-storm-force winds of 40 mph or more could hit the coastline in the next 24 hours.