Earl Bringing Deteriorating Conditions to New England
Large waves crash along the shore at Rehoboth Beach, Del., Friday morning as Earl draws closer to the southeast. (Photo courtesy of AccuWeather.com Facebook Fan Meredith Specker Wade)
An update at 11 p.m. EDT: Earl has weakened to a tropical storm, and is located approximately 90 miles south-southeast of Nantucket, Mass., with motion to the northeast at 25 mph. Maximum sustained winds are at 70 mph.
Satellite imagery shows that Earl is slowly weakening with the eye no longer distinct. Further weakening is expected through tonight. Earl will remain a tropical storm as it makes landfall over Nova Scotia Saturday morning.
Battering waves and gusty winds are currently targeting areas from the New Jersey coast to Long Island and southern New England.
While tropical-storm force gusts were being measured earlier Friday along the coast from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to New Jersey, winds became lighter late in the afternoon with gusts generally ranging from 20 to 30 mph. They are expected to increase to tropical storm force across southeastern New England tonight.
Meanwhile, the storm's rain bands are shifting northward through southern New England, while pulling away from the mid-Atlantic coast.
Buoys near the coast of Delaware, New Jersey and Long Island are reporting wave heights around 8-10 feet. Farther offshore, these heights are ranging from 15 to 20 feet.
A 4.69-foot storm surge was reported near Hatteras Village, N.C., just before 10 a.m. Friday.
Highest wind gusts measured through Friday evening EDT:
-Oregon Inlet Marina: 82 mph
-Pamlico Sound: 75 mph
-Ocracoke: 73 mph
-Manteo, N.C.: 70 mph
-Hatteras, N.C.: 66 mph
-Oceana, Va.: 48 mph
The winds reportedly tore off the canopy of a gas station in Manteo, N.C., Friday morning. Minor damage to roofs, siding and trees was also noted around Nags Head, Manns Harbor and Poplar Branch, N.C.
The radar displayed below shows Earl's heavy rain bands spreading northeastward from the mid-Atlantic coast into southern New England. The heaviest rain measured through noon EDT Friday was in Hatteras, N.C., with 4.52 inches falling since early Thursday evening.
Large, pounding waves have also been causing beach erosion and coastal flooding. Coastal flooding was reported along highways across the Outer Banks region. Parts of Highway 12 near Frisco and Mirlo Beach, N.C., were closed Friday morning as a result, according to the National Weather Service.
Large waves also eroded 30-40 feet of sand and cut into the dunes at Folly Beach County Park, S.C.
If you have photos or video from Hurricane Earl, whether of the actual storm, preparations, evacuations or damage, upload them to AccuWeather.com Facebook. However, please be safe while taking footage.
The satellite shot of Earl shows that he is slowly weakening with the eye becoming indistinct.
A government buoy station that took a direct hit from Earl Wednesday morning reported 49-foot waves and 101-mph wind gusts.
The latest official estimated statistics on Hurricane Earl are always available in the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center.
Content contributed by Jesse Ferrell, Meteorologist/Community Director
Related to the Story:
Earl to Bash Nantucket, Cape Cod, Boston
Earl to Batter Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Saturday
Earl's Dangers Lurk for Labor Day Weekend
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