CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — Danny weakened to a tropical depression early Saturday but was still expected to produce a second straight weekend of dangerous surf along the East Coast.
Large waves and treacherous rip currents were forecast from the Carolinas to New England, though National Hurricane Center forecasters said Danny had been mostly absorbed by a low pressure system associated with a cold front over North Carolina.
"We were expecting that that was going to happen sooner or later. It happened a little bit sooner," said senior hurricane specialist Lixion Avila. "Basically Danny has been swallowed by the big low."
Meanwhile, Hurricane Jimena rapidly intensified Saturday, quickly becoming a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kmh) off Mexico's southern Pacific coast. Jimena, the 10th named storm of the Pacific season, was expected to become a major hurricane by Sunday as it tracked north-northwest along the Mexican and southern Baja California peninsula coasts.
In North Carolina, tropical storm watches for the coast were discontinued, but people up and down the Eastern Seaboard were urged to be cautious near the water.
The dangers of storm-agitated seas were demonstrated when a young boy disappeared Friday in rough surf off North Carolina. His mother reported seeing him go underwater off the town of Corolla, not far from the Virginia line. His body board washed ashore without him.
The Coast Guard and local authorities spent hours looking for the 12-year-old boy but called off the search Friday evening and did not expect to continue searching Saturday.
Coast Guard spokesman Lt. j.g. Scott Hembrook said the waves in the area were about 4 to 6 feet tall.
"What the storm is doing is creating a particularly strong undertow" that can pull swimmers to the bottom, he said. Undertow is created as water that has crashed onshore rushes back out to sea.
Farther north, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation was closing beaches in five communities until further notice. The agency also canceled all public ferry service in and around Boston on Saturday, citing potential high seas, strong currents and heavy rain. State authorities urged boaters to have their vessels securely moored by Friday night.
In New Jersey, heavy rains associated with Danny caused some minor flooding, mostly along small rivers and creeks and in areas with poor drainage. The precipitation ended in most areas by late Saturday morning.
However, swimmers were being advised to stay out of the water.
Early Saturday, the remnants of Danny were located about 80 miles (130 km) southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph).
On the Outer Banks island of Ocracoke, Anchorage Marina dock master Robert Raborn said Friday that the warnings of rough seas prompted the usual stream of weekend boaters crossing the Pamlico Sound to cancel reservations for overnight docking space.
"Pretty much everybody's canceled," said Raborn, 40.
Also in the Pacific, a tropical depression formed far out to sea with winds of 35 mph. It was swirling 1,010 miles (1,625 km) southwest of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. It wasn't likely to threaten land.
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