Earl to Hit North Carolina First

Hurricane Earl has weakened some as it approaches North Carolina, but still packs a Category 2 wallop and was expected to sideswipe the coast, hitting hardest as it passed off Cape Hatteras in early morning hours with winds of 100 mph or more.

But even a small wobble in its path could mean huge differences in the power of the wind and waves churning offshore. So state officials had prepared for days, including placing 22 pieces of earth-moving equipment along the coastal highway to scrape off sand and repair pavement after the storm. The Department of Transportation also positioned ferries to move people off Hatteras Island if the road to the lone bridge was, as expected, cut.

There could be flooding from the sound side of the Outer Banks Friday morning, but the wind, rain and surf should begin dying down.

Earl Heading to U.S.

Hurricane Earl, now a powerful Category 4 storm, barreled toward the U.S. coast early Tuesday after battering tiny islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and winds that damaged homes and toppled power lines.

Earl is forecast to potentially brush the U.S. East Coast late Thursday, before curving back out to sea, potentially swiping New England or far-eastern Canada. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned coastal residents from North Carolina to Maine to watch the storm closely.

In the Caribbean, Earl caused flooding in low-lying areas and damaged homes on islands including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla and St. Maarten. Several countries and territories reported power outages. Cruise ships were diverted and flights canceled across the region.

The storm's center passed just north of the British Virgin Islands on Monday afternoon. By nighttime, the hurricane was pulling away from the Caribbean, but heavy downpours still threatened to cause flash floods and mudslides in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by drenching already saturated ground.

The Hurricane Center said it was too early to say what effect Earl would have in the U.S., but warned it could at least kick up dangerous rip currents. A surfer died in Florida and a Maryland swimmer had been missing since Saturday in waves spawned by former Hurricane Danielle, which weakened to a tropical storm Monday far out in the north Atlantic.

Tennis fans are watching Hurrican Earl as it could impact play at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships late this week.

Earl is a Category 1 Hurricane in Atlantic

Weather observers Earl has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it barrels toward several islands in the eastern Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Danielle was bringing dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Earl could make landfall over the Northern Leeward Islands as soon as Sunday night.

Forecasters warn Hurricane Earl could bring battering waves and storm surge reaching up to 3 feet above normal tide levels in some areas. Hurricane warnings and watches had been issued for several islands.

Earl was 365 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

Hurricane Danielle once had been a major Category 4 storm but weakened to Category 1 while about 440 miles east of Bermuda. Its top sustained winds fell to 90 mph as it moved northeast past the British island territory of Bermuda and farther from from the U.S. East Coast.

Danielle was expected to weaken gradually in the next two days and lose its tropical characteristics by Monday night.

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Hurricane Danielle Could Bring Dangerous Rip Currents to US

Hurricane Danielle remained far out over the Atlantic on Saturday, but the Category 2 storm is still expected to bring dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.

Danielle's maximum sustained winds were near 110 mph. It is about 320 miles southeast of Bermuda and is forecast to pass east of the island Saturday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm is expected to remain about the same strength for the next day but gradually begin weakening Sunday. It said large waves and dangerous surf conditions are expected in Bermuda, where a tropical storm watch has been issued.

Farther out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Earl has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. It could strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday night. A tropical storm watch was in effect for several islands in the eastern Caribbean, including St. Maarten, Antigua and Montserrat.

Rip currents form as waves travel from deep to shallow water, they eventually break near the shoreline. As waves break, they generate currents that flow in both the offshore (away from the coast) and the alongshore directions. The currents flowing away from the coast are called rip currents.

Hurricane Danielle now a Category 4 Storm

Hurricane Danielle became a Category 4 storm early Friday out over the Atlantic as it headed in Bermuda's direction and threatened to bring dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.

Danielle's maximum sustained winds increased to near 135 mph with some additional strengthening possible.

Danielle was located early Friday about 545 miles southeast of Bermuda and moving north-northwest near 12 mph. The hurricane is forecast to pass well east of Bermuda on Saturday night. But large waves and dangerous surf conditions were expected in Bermuda over the next few days, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Swells from Danielle would also begin arriving on the East Coast of the U.S. on Saturday and were likely to cause dangerous rip currents through the weekend.

Add to the mix Tropical Storm Earl.  Earl was moving west with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph. Forecasters said Earl could become a hurricane by Saturday night.

And in the Pacific, Hurricane Frank had weakened slightly off Mexico's coast. Further weakening was expected over the next couple days as the hurricane moved over cooler waters.