redOrbit: Mandatory evacuations have gone up for visitors along parts of North Carolina’s coastal islands on Wednesday as Hurricane Earl continues its path toward the eastern seaboard of the United States, churning up dangerous swells. Earl weakened slightly overnight as it moved across the Atlantic east of the Bahamas. It is still a strong Category 3 hurricane and is on track to approach the North Carolina coast early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Earl had …