Wilmington, N.C. ? Ophelia kept up its teasing dance along the coast of the Carolinas on Monday, dropping slightly in strength from hurricane to tropical storm as it barely moved toward land.

Although Ophelia was centered more than 200 miles offshore, nonresidents were ordered to leave one of North Carolina’s Outer Banks islands and 300 National Guard troops were sent to mustering points along the coast. School systems in five counties closed, even though the storm’s eye was predicted to remain offshore until Wednesday.

Many people acknowledged they were paying closer attention to Ophelia because of the vast destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. Others insisted they wouldn’t let the milder storm disrupt their plans.

“My family is all coming in for a family reunion, including my 84-year-old mother,” said Dodie Curtis, 62, of Gilford, Maine, on the shore at Wrightsville Beach. “This is our family thing and we don’t plan to go anywhere.”

Any appearances to the contrary, Gov. Mike Easley said the state was doing its normal storm preparation.

“We have, unfortunately, a great deal of experience with hurricanes. I think one of the things people in North Carolina will be able to recognize is that this is the exact same pattern we always follow,” he said.

Pat Lord, of Cleveland, doesn't let the crashing waves generated by Tropical Storm Ophelia stop her from looking for shells along the beach in the North Carolina Outer Banks.

Ophelia was a minimal hurricane early Monday with sustained winds of 75 mph, but by midday it had weakened to about 70 mph, 4 mph below the threshold, the National Hurricane Center said.

Meteorologists warned, though, that the system had the potential to regain hurricane strength over the next day or so.

At 9 p.m., forecasters issued a hurricane warning from Cape Lookout south to Edisto Beach, S.C., meaning hurricane conditions were expected by late today. The storm’s outer bands of rain were expected to reach the coast of the Carolinas overnight as Ophelia continued to crawl to the northwest at about 3 mph.

The storm’s slow movement is its primary danger, bringing the likelihood that it will hang over eastern North Carolina for days, Easley said.

Floods, prolonged power outages and severe wind damage were possible as Ophelia crawled north from Wilmington to the Pamlico Sound, he said.