Hurricane Earl has grown “large and dangerous,” the National Hurricane Center warned Wednesday night.
Earl, which is only about 565 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., is heading toward the U.S. East Coast with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph (215 kph).
Hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings now extend from North Carolina to Massachusetts. The North Carolina coast is expected to experience hurricane conditions and “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the center advised.
“Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the North Carolina coast within the warning area by Thursday afternoon with hurricane force winds occurring by late Thursday. Tropical storm force winds will likely reach the coast from Virginia northward to New Jersey by early Friday,” the center said.
The hurricane could move over the Canadian Maritimes provinces on Saturday.
Based on the current forecast track, the hurricane will bring raised water levels, heavy rainfall, gusty winds, dangerous surf, and large swells to the East Coast over the next few days.
The Category 4 system is forecast to gradually weaken after some fluctuations in intensity Wednesday night and Thursday. A Category 4 system on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale can lead to “catastrophic damage,” according to the center.
The other system on the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Fiona, is moving toward the northwest near 20 mph in the open Atlantic. All watches and warnings have been discontinued.
Earl, which is only about 565 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., is heading toward the U.S. East Coast with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph (215 kph).
Hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings now extend from North Carolina to Massachusetts. The North Carolina coast is expected to experience hurricane conditions and “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the center advised.
“Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the North Carolina coast within the warning area by Thursday afternoon with hurricane force winds occurring by late Thursday. Tropical storm force winds will likely reach the coast from Virginia northward to New Jersey by early Friday,” the center said.
The hurricane could move over the Canadian Maritimes provinces on Saturday.
Based on the current forecast track, the hurricane will bring raised water levels, heavy rainfall, gusty winds, dangerous surf, and large swells to the East Coast over the next few days.
The Category 4 system is forecast to gradually weaken after some fluctuations in intensity Wednesday night and Thursday. A Category 4 system on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale can lead to “catastrophic damage,” according to the center.
The other system on the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Fiona, is moving toward the northwest near 20 mph in the open Atlantic. All watches and warnings have been discontinued.
