(CNN) Hurricane Lorenzo is in the middle of the Atlantic, thousands of miles from the US, but the powerful storm will still make its presence felt along the East Coast, from Florida to New England, over the next few days, forecasters said.

In Florida, the National Weather Service in Melbourne warned of dangerous currents caused by Lorenzo.

"A HIGH RISK of dangerous and life-threatening rip currents will be present at all east central FL beaches today due to long period swell from Hurricane Lorenzo," the Melbourne office said Monday. "Beachgoers are urged to be extremely cautious at the coast today and to avoid entering the surf, no matter what skill of swimmer."

Swell from Lorenzo could produce waves generally up to 5 feet high along the East Coast, measured from the wave trough to its peak, said Kurt Korte, the lead East Coast forecaster at Surfline.com

"Select beaches from the Outer Banks northward through New England" may see even larger waves, Korte said. "For beachgoers, longer-period swells like this can lead to a heightened risk for dangerous rip currents."

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