The bays get pretty hot, but the ocean doesn't, North of Hatteras, where the Gulf Stream leaves the coast;
It's basically thermodynamically impossible to get a Cat 5 actually landfalling N of Hatteras and exceedingly difficult to get a Cat 4, short of drastic climatic change.
The Atlantic is 86 at least as far north as Ocean City, MD... as of yesterday afternoon. That's pretty danged "hot" for this far north.