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Northeast braces for Hurricane Earl

Posted by Sheena Parveen under Daily updates

As  of the 5pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Earl is still a category 1 hurricane, but further weakening is expected.  It will continue on a N/NE path toward the New England area, at a speed of around 20 mph, making this a fast moving hurricane.  Over the next 12 to 24 hours, Earl should turn more to the NE and pick up speed.   Earl is packing wind gusts greater than 80 mph near the center, which is located about 230 miles S/SW of Nantucket, Massachusetts.   Rainfall totals may add up to near 4 inches with heavier storms.  Rain bands are now moving into parts of Long Island, NY and Massachusetts.  This rainy, windy weather is not packing much of a punch, since the storm is weakening and centered to the East of the affected areas.

Earl is weakening as it moves over cooler Atlantic waters, and enters higher wind shear.  It may become an extra-tropical cyclone as it reaches Nova Scotia this weekend.  This track has been consistent since Earl first neared the U.S.

Computer models haven’t changed much since this storm first developed, and by Friday night/Saturday morning it will skim the NE coast, certainly causing rough surge and rip currents.  Wave heights in parts of coastal Massachusetts are expected to be close to 10 feet.  The worst of this storm will remain offshore, as the center of Earl remains in the Atlantic before heading to Nova Scotia.

Wave heights are still increasing along parts of the NE coast in Earl’s path, with the highest waves near the center.  Wave heights are still high to the south of Earl’s center as the water is still churned up.  South of Cape Cod is experiencing higher seas now, and this will continue into Saturday.  Rip currents will still be a problem over the weekend for the East coast, even after Earl leaves, but will diminish next week.

Hurricane warnings are up mainly for the Cape Cod area, with surrounding tropical storm warnings.  Earl will brush by this area tonight/Saturday morning, then speed up to Nova Scotia.

Tropical storm force winds (40 mph and greater) extend 205 miles from the center of Earl with hurricane force winds (74 mph or greater) extending 70 miles from the center.  Most of the bad weather should remain offshore.

The best chance for tropical storm force winds will be around Nantucket and the Cape Cod area.

Hurricane force winds will most likely be too weak to make much of an impact.

We’re still watching Fiona, which isn’t a threat to the U.S. but Bermuda may experience some tropical storm force winds Friday evening and Saturday morning.  This storm will continue North into the Atlantic before fizzling out over the weekend.  You can even see how unorganized it is below.  It will begin to enter areas of higher wind shear.

There are 2 other tropical waves to keep an eye on in the Atlantic.  The remnants of Gaston are over 1,000 miles West of the Cape Verde Islands.  Gaston is no longer a tropical depression, but it could regenerate next week as it heads West.  Another tropical wave moving off the West coast of Africa, East of the Cape Verde Islands, is showing some potential.  It will be slow to develop as it heads West.

The remnants of Gaston may regenerate next week, as it enters warm waters and lighter wind shear.  Computer models hold on to this system for several days.

The other tropical wave closer to Africa, which we are calling “Invest 99L” will continue Northwest, and any development with this system will be slow to occur.