The tropical storm that has come to be called Hurricane Earl has been watched closely since it began gathering force in the Caribbean. Earl was first a Category Three hurricane and is now a Category Four storm. The Hurricane Earl path has been closely watched to determine how likely it is to hit the United States. The hurricane has turned toward the East coast and will probably hit the U.S. mainland by Labor Day. The storm will likely hit north of Virginia. Cape Cod and Long Island are expected to bear the brunt.
Earl track right along the coast
The Hurricane Earl projected path follows the U.S. East Coast. According to the Washington Post, the path of Earl will bring it close to the mainland, but will not likely make land fall. The expected effects are that high winds, altered currents off shore, and intense rain will occur in areas near or directly on the coast, but little more than that. However, some areas have already been evacuated. The evacuated areas are mostly islands off the coast, mostly resort towns. Advisories have been issued all along the East Coast, from South Carolina to Nova Scotia.
FEMA is on it this time
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has met with President Obama. FEMA has established plans for evacuation and put emergency supplies in place in several states, and is in a heightened state of alert. Only a few evacuations have taken place so far, mostly around the Outer Banks off North Carolina. Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island were both emptied of tourists. Maryland and Virginia have declared states of emergency.
Earl path
The path of Earl is expected to follow the U.S. coastline north from its present location off North Carolina. However, it isn’t certain yet whether the storm will or won’t hit land. The eye of the storm, if it follows the projected path, will be well out to sea. However, cities on the coast could expect to receive some heavy winds and rain, as New York City and Boston are both expected to.
Sources
Washington Post
