Up to Hurricane-Force Wind Gusts Slam Outer Banks
This enhanced infrared satellite image of Hurricane Earl was taken late Thursday September 2, 2010.
Wind gusts of up to hurricane force have been slamming the Outer Banks of North Carolina Thursday night as Hurricane Earl brings damage, flooding, and rough surf.
Earl is a Category 2 hurricane offshore of the Southeast. The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center gives the storm's latest statistics, including its proximity to the coastline.
Hurricane Earl began to divert off its recent northwestward track Wednesday. That trend will continue through Friday morning, sparing North Carolina from a direct hit.
However, Earl is a large storm with hurricane-force winds extending out about 70 miles from its all-important western side. Earl will slam the Outer Banks during a several-hour period into Friday morning as it passes just to the east. The eye will pass about 80 miles to the east of Cape Hatteras.
Conditions deteriorated late Thursday as Earl approached from the south. Rain and gusty winds spread into the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the afternoon and evening, while waves also battered the coast.
Earl's passage will not go unnoticed across the rest of the Southeast coastline as rough surf pounds the beaches. The battering waves and high rip current danger will make swimming extremely dangerous.
The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center expects Earl to track about 80 miles east of Cape Hatteras tonight with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
Given the forecast track of Earl, its most torrential rain and destructive winds will remain just east of the Outer Banks.
The current track of Earl still puts the Outer Banks in line to be pounded with a period of hurricane-force wind gusts into early Friday morning.
Winds of that magnitude could cause some exterior structural damage and power outages, as well as make traveling on bridges connecting the barrier islands extremely dangerous.
In addition, waves between 20 and 24 feet will batter the Outer Banks, with a storm surge of 3 to 6 feet expected. The powerful waves are expected to cause beach erosion and significant over-wash.
Rainfall will amount to 2 to 4 inches into Friday morning.
The danger of Hurricane Earl has prompted evacuation orders for parts of the Outer Banks. A total of 35,000 people on the islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke have been told to leave, according to the Associated Press.
The effects of Hurricane Earl will not be limited to just the Outer Banks.
Into Friday, a few outer rain bands and tropical storm-force winds up to 60 mph will spread over the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, including Norfolk and eastern North Carolina, east of Rocky Mount. Some downed trees and power outages may result.
Conditions will improve across eastern North Carolina as Friday progresses and Earl heads northeastward, grazing the New England coast. Southeastern Massachusetts through the islands off Cape Cod would be next in line to endure the brunt of Earl's fury.
Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story.
Related to the Story:
The Latest Statistics on Hurricane Earl
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