. . . June
-----------------------
Earl on path for N. Carolina, then due north
Weather - msnbc.com news service
"MIAMI — Hurricane Earl, a monster Category 4 storm with 135 mph winds, churned on a path toward the North Carolina coast on Tuesday after lashing Puerto Rico and northeast Caribbean islands with winds, rain and waves.
The forecast track of Earl, the second major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic season, showed fringes clipping North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier islands early on Friday and also threatening the East Coast northward from there."
"Interests from the Carolinas northward to New England should monitor the progress of Earl," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
In particular, Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks could see a "close approach" from Earl, the center said.
A hurricane watch could be posted by Tuesday night for the mid-Atlantic coast, alerting residents to expect storm conditions within 72 hours, the center said.
No evacuations were announced, but that could change if Earl deviates a bit farther west, Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Craig Fugate said Tuesday.
"Interests from the Carolinas northward to New England should monitor the progress of Earl," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Fugate said the primary risk from Earl if it suddenly changed course westwards would be from storm surge on the shoreline.
Barry Baxter, a hurricane center meteorologist, said forecasters had nudged the storm's track slightly to the west overnight but still had it narrowly missing a direct full-on impact to the U.S. coast.
Read More . . .
