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 Could Produce Power Outages and Wind Damage at U.S. Open

The danger from most hurricanes is from water – either the massive amount of rain that falls or the surge that the high winds push onshore.  But in the case of the hurricane Earl path, the bigger problem once it leaves the New York and New England area is likely to be wind damage.

Since trees still have full foliage this time of year, the damage is expected to be worse than the fall, when nor’easters often hit the New England region.

Rain is only one thing U.S. Open Tennis officials have to worry about with Earl.  The U.S. Open is in the middle of a 2-week run in New York. 

We could see limbs down and the uprooting of trees,” says Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “If the roads are covered with trees, this could be a problem for responders if someone has an emergency.”

From the easternmost part of New York to Rhode Island and Cape Cod, Earl is expected to unleash wind gusts of 75 to 100 miles per hour, says meteorologist Mike Pigott of AccuWeather.com. In the eastern part of Cape Cod around Chatham, MA, for example, the winds could reach a sustained 75 miles per hour.

On Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center officially put southeastern Massachusetts – including Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard – on hurricane warning status. That means the region can expect winds of at least 74 miles per hour, probably starting Friday evening.

Utility crews on the East Coast are gearing up for the prospect of clearing trees off power lines and restringing lines, says Jim Owen, a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute in Washington.

With widespread wind damage, power outages can stretch for days or maybe even longer. “That is why we encourage people to prepare and have adequate supplies of food and water, so they can withstand maybe several days without electricity,” says Owen.

One indication of how long power outages can go: After Wilma, a powerful hurricane, roared through Florida in 2005, many residents went for more than two weeks without electricity.

Let's hope Earl is a tennis fan and stays mostly out at sea.

Hurricane Earl Threatens Friday's Play at U.S. Open

Although Hurricane Earl has weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 3 storm and isn't expected to land a direct hit to New Jersey and New York, the Labor Day weekend is likely to begin Friday with wet weather, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service is calling for a 30 percent chance of showers in the overnight hours of Friday morning at the Shore. Later in the day, there is a greater probability of showers with winds gusting up to 37 miles per hour and dangerous surf.

The rest of the weekend after Friday looks good right now.

As of 8 a.m., Earl was about 180 miles east of San Salvador in the Bahamas and moving northwest at 16 miles per hour with sustained winds topping out at 125 miles per hour. The storm is now about 780 miles from Cape Hatteras, N.C, where it could land a blow as early as Thursday night.

Friday tennis play could be in jeopardy if Earl continues at its current strength and course.

Hurricane Earl Gaining Strength

Hurricane Earl continues to pick up more power in the Atlantic Ocean, with winds whipping at about 105 mph and forcing even stronger gusts.

As of Monday morning, the Category 2 hurricane was centered east of Puerto Rico, about 50 miles east-northeast of St. Martin, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. It was headed west-northwest at about 15 mph.

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands could get up to eight inches of rain and as much as 12 inches in isolated areas with higher elevations, the hurricane center said. "These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the center said.

Earl is expected to gain more force and "become a major hurricane," by late Monday or early Tuesday, the weather agency said.

Storm surging is expected to raise water levels by up to four feet above ground level in the hurricane warning area, the weather agency said. The surge "will be accompanied by large and dangerous battering waves," according to the hurricane center.

A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning are in effect for Puerto Rico.

Earl could impact the entire East Coast over the Labor Day weekend.