Hurricane Earl Near NC Island

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 1) -- Tourists on a North Carolina vacation destination island were ordered to board the ferries and head for the mainland Wednesday and more evacuations could be on the way as powerful Hurricane Earl threatened to sideswipe the East Coast.

Hyde County emergency officials said the evacuation of Ocracoke Island starts at 5 a.m. for about 5,000 visitors. The 800 or so year-round residents don't have to heed it, but Emergency Services Director Lindsey Mooney said officials hope they'll follow tourists on the 2½ hour trip to shore.

"I don't remember the last time there was a mandatory evacuation order for the island," Hyde County Commissioner Kenneth Collier said.

More evacuations along the Eastern Seaboard could follow, depending on the path taken by the storm, which weakened to a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday as it whipped across the Caribbean with winds of 125 mph.

Earl was expected to remain over the open ocean before turning north and running parallel to the East Coast, bringing high winds and heavy rain to North Carolina's Outer Banks by late Thursday or early Friday. From there, forecasters said, it could curve away from the coast somewhat as it makes it way north, perhaps hitting Massachusetts' Cape Cod and the Maine shoreline on Friday night and Saturday.

Forecasters cautioned that it was still too early to tell how close Earl might come to land. But not since Hurricane Bob in 1991 has such a powerful storm had such a large swath of the East Coast in its sights, said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center.

"A slight shift of that track to the west is going to impact a great deal of real estate with potential hurricane-force winds," Feltgen said.

Even if Earl stays well offshore, it will kick up rough surf and dangerous rip currents up and down the coast through the Labor Day weekend, a prime time for beach vacations, forecasters said. Virginia's governor on Wednesday planned to declare an emergency, a preliminary step needed to muster emergency personnel should Earl hit the state.

The approaching storm troubled many East Coast beach towns that had hoped to capitalize on the BP oil spill and draw visitors who normally vacation on the Gulf Coast.

On Tuesday, gusty winds from Earl's outer fringes whipped palm fronds and whistled through doors in the Turks and Caicos Islands as tied-down boats seesawed on white-crested surf.

Islanders gathered to watch big waves pound a Grand Turk shore as the wind sent sand and salt spray flying.

"We can hear the waves crashing against the reef really seriously," Kirk Graff, owner of the Captain Kirks Flamingo Cove Marina, said by telephone as he watched the darkening skies. "Anybody who hasn't secured their boats by now is going to regret it."

Carl Hanes of Newport News, Va., kept an eye on the weather report as he headed for the beach near his rented vacation home in Avon, N.C. He, his wife and their two teenage children were anticipating Earl might force them to leave on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule.

"We're trying not to let it bother us," Hanes said before enjoying the calm surf.

In Rehoboth Beach, Del., Judy Rice said she has no plans to leave the vacation home where she has spent most of the summer. In fact, the Oak Hill, Va., resident plans to walk around town in the rain if it comes.

"I kind of enjoy it actually. You know, it's battling the elements," Rice said. "I have seen the rain go sideways, and, yeah, it can be scary, but I have an old house here in Rehoboth, so it's probably more important that I am here during a storm than anywhere."

In the Florida Panhandle, which has struggled all summer to coax back tourists scared away by the Gulf oil spill, bookings were up 12 percent over last year at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The resort is nowhere near Earl's projected path, and spokeswoman Laurie Hobbs said she suspects the increase in reservations was partly because of a discount the hotel is offering and partly because of the hurricane.

"Weather drives business," she said. "They go to where the weather is best."

If Earl brings rain farther inland, it could affect the U.S. Open tennis tournament, being played now through Sept. 12 in New York City.

"We're keeping our eye on it very closely," said United States Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/ocracoke-island-in-nc-evacuated-as-hurricane-earl-nears/19616446

Hurricane Earl News

Reuters – Hurricane Earl is seen moving west-northwest in the Caribbean, in this National Oceanic and Atmospheric …

By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer Mike Baker, Associated Press Writer – 27 mins ago

RALEIGH, N.C. – Federal officials urged U.S. residents to prepare for possible evacuations and islanders in the Turks and Caicos hunkered down in their homes Tuesday as powerful Hurricane Earl howled over open seas toward the East Coast of the U.S.
The Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 135 mph (215 kilometers), was expected to remain over the open ocean before turning north and running parallel to the U.S. coast, potentially reaching the North Carolina coastal region by late Thursday or early Friday. It was projected then to curve back out to sea, perhaps swiping New England or far-eastern Canada.
"We can't totally rule out a very close approach to either of the Cape Hatteras areas or Cape Cod and southern New England as the storm progresses further," said Bill Read, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Earl delivered a glancing blow to several small Caribbean islands Monday, tearing roofs off of homes and cutting electricity to people in Anguilla, Antigua, and St. Maarten. Cruise ships were diverted and flights canceled across the region. But there were no reports of death or injury.
Gusty winds from Earl's outer fringes were whipping palm fronds and whistling through doors as Turks and Caicos Islands residents hunkered down in their homes and tied-down boats seesawed on white-crested surf.
A small crowd of islanders gathered early Tuesday afternoon to watch big waves pound a Grand Turk shore, as the wind sent sand and salt spray flying.
"We can hear the waves crashing against the reef really seriously. Anybody who hasn't secured their boats by now is going to regret it," Kirk Graff, owner of the Captain Kirks Flamingo Cove Marina, said by phone as he watched the darkening skies.
In Providenciales, Benson Capron was among several fishermen tying their boats to trees lining the beach.
"I hear it is going to pass, but I will not take any chances," Capron said. "Today I will not go out to fish."

Click image to see Hurricane Earl photos

AP/Johnny Jno-Baptiste

Forecasters 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.
Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said evacuations may be necessary along the eastern seaboard later this week if the storm does not veer away from the coast as expected.
"Today is the day to make sure you have your plan completed and your supplies in place," Fugate said.
The storm's center passed just north of the British Virgin Islands on Monday afternoon. Despite a few lost fishing boats and several uprooted trees in Tortola and Anegada, there were no reports of major damage or injuries, said Sharleen DaBreo, disaster management agency director.
By midday Tuesday, Earl's center was about 170 miles (275 kilometers) east of Grand Turk island as it headed west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph), according to the hurricane center.
Tropical storm conditions were expected to spread into the Turks and Caicos by Tuesday afternoon.
Close on Earl's heels, Tropical Storm Fiona formed Monday afternoon in the open Atlantic. The storm, with maximum winds of 40 mph (65 kph), was projected to pass just north of the Leeward Islands by Wednesday and stay farther out in the Atlantic than Earl's northward path. Fiona was not expected to reach hurricane strength over the next several days.
Residents were cleaning up debris and assessing damage Tuesday on islands across the northeastern Caribbean.
In Puerto Rico, nearly 187,000 people were without power and another 60,000 without water, Gov. Luis Fortuno said. More than a dozen roads along the north coast remained closed as crews removed trees and downed power lines.
In St. Maarten, sand and debris littered the streets, and winds knocked down trees and electricity poles and damaged roofs. But police spokesman Ricardo Henson said there was no extensive damage to property.
In Antigua, at least one home was destroyed but there were no reports of serious injuries. Governor General Dame Louise Agnetha Lake-Tack declared Monday a public holiday to keep islanders off the road and give them a chance to clean up.

Hurricane Earl Tracking

Hurricane Earl 2010

Tropical Storm Earl Worth Watching – Phillyweather.net: The

2010 Hurricane Forecast … Depending on the strength of the front it could block Tropical Storm Earl from moving near the Eastern United States and thus allowing the system to turn to the Northwest. However if this front is slower in …
[philadelphiaweather.blogspot.com]

Tropical Storm Earl threatens eastern Caribbean Reuters – JK

MIAMI (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Earl was poised to become a hurricane on Sunday as it threatened islands in the eastern Caribbean while Hurricane Danielle weakened to a Category 1 storm the US National Hurricane Center said. …
[www.jkwebco.com]

Polaris Bear Blog Blog Archive Atlantic Tropical Storm EARL

Atlantic Tropical Storm EARL Tropical Cyclone Update Sat 28 Aug 2010 22:26:20 -0500 000 WTNT62 KNHC 290326 TCUAT2 TROPICAL STORM EARL TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072010 1130 PM AST SAT AUG 28 …
[www.polarisbear.net]

Channel 6 News Hurricane warnings issued as tropical storm Earl

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) — Hurricane warnings were issued on Saturday night as tropical storm Earl the fifth named storm of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season continues to move toward the Leeward Islands. As of 11 p.m. AST (0300 UTC) …
[channel6newsonline.com]

Tropical Storm Earl gains some strength – NOLA.com

Tropical Storm Earl has gotten a little stronger as it continues moving toward the west according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Tropical Storm Earl is about 1015 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and is moving …
[www.nola.com]

Tropical Storm Earl is expected to strengthen into a hurricane

Tropical Storm Earl is moving rapidly to the west and is expected to become a hurricane by Sunday according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Tropical Storm Earl was centered about 1080 miles east of the northern Leeward …
[www.nola.com]

TROPICAL STORM EARL (AUGUST 27 2010) – Bummer Productions

JASON UPDATE ON TROPICAL STORM EARL ON AUGUST27 2010 AT 11AM EARL CONTINUES WESTWARD OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC SUMMARY OF.
[bummerproductions.com]

Tropical Storm Earl 2010: TS Earl Forms in Atlantic – Newsopi.com

Tropical Storm Earl 2010: TS Earl Forms in Atlantic-With Hurricane Danielle still in our rear-view the attention has shifted to Tropical Storm Earl. It is the.
[www.newsopi.com]

Tropical Storm Earl 2010

The National Hurricane Center has upgraded a tropical depression to Tropical Storm Earl in the Atlantic on Wednesday. The center predicts that the storm could reach the status of hurricane by Friday.
[www.huffingtonpost.com]

tropical storm earl earl hurricane earl 2010 smith barney

That is Hurricane Danielle storm Earl strengthen in the Atlantic what is Yahoo Computer? Two powerful systems what is Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl what is swirled in the open waters of the Atlantic on Thursday …
[www.windows7error.org]

Hurricane Earl Watch

Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl Projected Tracks – The

Tropical Storm Earl is currently further out in the Eastern Atlantic. It has winds of 45 miles per hour and is seeming to have trouble getting it’s act together. Having said this the National Hurricane Center does expect it to become …
[thenewsoftoday.com]

Tropical Storm Earl Update 3 and Hurricane Danielle. – Mexico

Since Hurricane Danielle continues moving further away from the Caribbean and Mexico this will most likely be the last update related to Danielle. Tropical Storm Earl.
[www.mexicotravelmagazine.com]

Hurricane Danielle Becomes Category 4

MIAMI Hurricane Danielle became a Category 4 storm early Friday far out over the Atlantic as it headed in Bermuda’s direction and threatened to bring dangerous rip currents to the US East Coast. Danielle’s maximum sustained winds …
[www.huffingtonpost.com]

Hurricane Danielle reaches Cat3 Earl forecast strengthing – Watts

BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM EARL ADVISORY NUMBER 7 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072010 1100 PM AST THU AUG 26 2010 …EARL RACING WESTWARD OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC…FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN… SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST…0300 …
[wattsupwiththat.com]

Tropical Storm Earl Path

Tropical Storm Earl Path-Two tropical storms are growing rapidly in strength and size. Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl have grown and are moving.
[news.spreadit.org]

Tropical Storm Earl moves across Atlantic

Tropical Storm Earl the seventh Tropical Depression is expected The projection shows that Tropical Storm Earl would move to the west-northwest in the next two days as it nears the Leeward Islands.
[www.buzztab.com]

World Wide News Flash Hurricane Earl

Latest articles and news about Hurricane Earl. Stay updated with information about Hurricane Earl. Everything you want to know about Hurricane Earl.
[www.wwnewsflash.com]

Tropical Storm Earl

There is news about the tropical storm Earl being formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Sources report that the tropical storm Earl was formed yesterday in the north.
[www.makli.com]

Tropical Storm Earl 2010

The National Hurricane Center has upgraded a tropical depression to Tropical Storm Earl in the Atlantic on Wednesday. The center predicts that the storm could reach the status of hurricane by Friday.
[www.huffingtonpost.com]

UPDATE: Tropical Storm Earl forms in the Atlantic – www

The depression is already close to tropical storm intensity and is likely to become Tropical Storm Earl later today. The weather service models forecast the depression to turn into a hurricane in the next three days or so. …
[www.beaumontenterprise.com]

Current Hurricane Earl Information

Hurricane Earl is the seventh depression, fifth storm, third hurricane and second major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane season. Forming as a classical Cape Verde-type hurricane from a Easterly wave associated with a monsoonal trough on August 25, it slowly organized, becoming a tropical storm later that day near the Cape Verde Islands. It maintained peak winds of 45 mph for two days, before slowly strengthening into a 60 mph tropical storm. It then maintained that wind speed for another twelve hours, before becoming the season's third hurricane. On August 30 at 11:00 AM AST, Earl intensified into a category 3 hurricane, making it the second major hurricane of the season after Hurricane Danielle. Later that day, Earl intensified further into a category 4 hurricane. Earl is the first Cape Verde-type hurricane to affect the Leeward Islands since Hurricane Georges. It is currently predicted to affect the Outer Banks of North Carolina and possibly Atlantic Canada.

Earl formed from a very well organized area of low pressure and moved into the Atlantic Ocean as a vigorous monsoon trough on early August 22. After moving off the west coast of Africa, a surface low started to develop near the area of thunderstorms. The surface low was able to organize the area of thunderstorms, allowing deep convection to occur near it. Because of the area's increasing thunderstorm organization, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicated on August 24 that the system had a 90% chance of becoming a tropical depression within the next 48 hours. 18 hours later, the NHC classified the system as Tropical Depression Seven at around 11 am AST (1500 UTC) on August 25, while it was located about 430 mi (690 km) west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. Six hours later, at approximately 5 pm AST (2100 UTC), the system's maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 40 mph (65 km/h). Accordingly, the depression was declared to have become the fifth tropical storm of the season, and received the name Earl.

Hurricane Earl rapidly strengthens and approaching the northern Leeward Islands while Danielle becomes extratropical.

 

Earl was forecast to head westward while gradually strengthening under the influence of low wind shear and warm ocean temperatures. However, dry air caught in Earl's circulation precluded additional intensification, causing the storm to maintain 45 mph (75 km/h) maximum sustained winds for 36 hours. On August 29, the storm resumed gradual intensification, even though wind shear increased due to the outflow from nearby Hurricane Danielle. The wind shear caused Earl's low level center of circulation to become exposed, limiting Earl's intensification to 60 mph (95 km/h) maximum sustained winds during the following 12 hours. As the outflow from Danielle moved away into the north Atlantic, Earl further intensified into a category two hurricane at 105 mph (165 km/h). By 5 pm AST (2100 UTC) on August 30, Earl intensified even more into a Category 4 hurricane, making it the second major hurricane of the season. Earl slightly weakened on August 31 due to an ongoing eyewall replacement cycle.

Caribbean

On August 27, France issued a tropical storm watch for the French side of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy. The next day, Antigua and Barbuda and the Netherlands issued tropical storm watches for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla and for Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius. Prior to Earl's arrival in the Leeward Islands, the Leeward Islands Air Transport canceled 42 flights to and from the region. The V. C. Bird International Airport was set shut down on August 29 and set to reopen after the storm passes.

Although not in the direct path of Hurricane Earl, officials in the Dominican Republic prompted evacuations of coastal towns and canceled flights across the country.

United States

On August 30, emergency officials in Massachusetts began early-stage emergency plans, ensuring that all communities have shelters, generators, sand bags and other disaster prevention materials. Officials in New York and New Jersey also responded to the threat of Earl. Evacuation plans were readied for Long Island and New York City; emergency officers in New Jersey also discussed the possibility of evacuating residents from low-lying areas along the coastline. Having experienced a fatality from a distant Hurricane Danielle earlier in August, officials in Maryland took the threat of Earl seriously. An estimated 250,000 people were expected to travel to the region for the Labor Day weekend, increasing the risk of loss of life from rip currents. Daily conference calls between state officials also began on August 30. An administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Craig Fugate, cautioned that Earl's approach warranted a reminder for evacuation plans to be updated for the U.S. east coast, noting "It wouldn't take much to have the storm come ashore somewhere on the coast. The message is for everyone to pay attention." 

As of 2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) August 31, the center of Hurricane Earl was located near 21.5°N 68.5°W, about 170 miles (275 km) east of Grand Turk Island and about 1040 miles (1675 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Maximum sustained winds are estimated at 135 mph (215 km/h), with higher gusts. The minimum central pressure is estimated to be 940 mbar (hPa, 27.76 inHg) and the storm is moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22 km/h).

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles (320 km) to the north of the center of Earl, and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Earl_%282010%29

Hurricane Earl Warnings

Coastal Watches/Warnings and 5-Day Forecast Cone for Storm Center

Click image to zoom in – Download GIS data
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Note: If a storm is expected to dissipate within 5 days, its track will be shorter

About this product:

This graphic shows an approximate representation of coastal areas under a hurricane warning (red), hurricane watch (pink), tropical storm warning (blue) and tropical storm watch (yellow). The orange circle indicates the current position of the center of the tropical cyclone. The black line, when selected, and dots show the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast track of the center at the times indicated. The dot indicating the forecast center location will be black if the cyclone is forecast to be tropical and will be white with a black outline if the cyclone is forecast to be extratropical. If only an L is displayed, then the system is forecast to be a remnant low. The letter inside the dot indicates the NHC's forecast intensity for that time.

New for 2010 is an expanded set of abbreviations indicating the storm strength:
D: Tropical Depression – wind speed less than 39 MPH
S: Tropical Storm – wind speed between 39 MPH and 73 MPH
H: Hurricane – wind speed between 74 MPH and 110 MPH
M: Major Hurricane – wind speed greater than 110 MPH

NHC tropical cyclone forecast tracks can be in error. This forecast uncertainty is conveyed by the track forecast "cone", the solid white and stippled white areas in the graphic. The solid white area depicts the track forecast uncertainty for days 1-3 of the forecast, while the stippled area depicts the uncertainty on days 4-5. Historical data indicate that the entire 5-day path of the center of the tropical cyclone will remain within the cone about 60-70% of the time. To form the cone, a set of imaginary circles are placed along the forecast track at the 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h positions, where the size of each circle is set so that it encloses 67% of the previous five years official forecast errors. The cone is then formed by smoothly connecting the area swept out by the set of circles.

There is also uncertainty in the NHC intensity forecasts. The Maximum 1-minute Wind Speed Probability Table provides intensity forecast and uncertainty information.

It is also important to realize that a tropical cyclone is not a point. Their effects can span many hundreds of miles from the center. The area experiencing hurricane force (one-minute average wind speeds of at least 74 mph) and tropical storm force (one-minute average wind speeds of 39-73 mph) winds can extend well beyond the white areas shown enclosing the most likely track area of the center. The distribution of hurricane and tropical storm force winds in this tropical cyclone can be seen in the Wind History graphic linked above.

Considering the combined forecast uncertainties in track, intensity, and size, the chances that any particular location will experience winds of 34 kt (tropical storm force), 50 kt, or 64 kt (hurricane force) from this tropical cyclone are presented in tabular form for selected locations and forecast positions. This information is also presented in graphical form for the 34 kt, 50 kt, and 64 kt thresholds. 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?5-daynl