Hurricane Earl didn't do as much damage as could have been, but it's not over yet. The storm is expected to continue to spin northward, bringing wind and rain to the northeast, where hurricane and tropical storm watches were in effect from the North Carolina/Virginia border to Maine. After that, the Maritime Provinces are the next to hunker down.
. . . June
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Earl scoots to the north, spares S.C
Breaking News - TheState.com: "Sept. 03—The worst of Hurricane Earl was still hours away when water and sand began washing over N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island late Thursday afternoon.
It was a foreboding sign as nearly a full night of foul weather approached. Most tourists and many residents of North Carolina's central and northern barrier islands had already fled inland. With the storm's precise path still unclear, those who remained braced for hours of heavy wind, big waves and flooding.
The worst of the storm was expected to be over by about 3 a.m., said Gail Hartfield of the National Weather Service's Raleigh office.
The storm weakened some as it approached North Carolina, but still packed a Category 2 wallop and was expected to hit hardest as it passed off Cape Hatteras with winds of 100 mph or more.
President Obama declared an emergency in North Carolina, which allowed the state to gain federal support for emergency protective measures such as opening shelters, providing aid and the use of the N.C. National Guard, state Highway Patrol and state Department of Transportation resources.
The storm was a Category 3 and about 230 miles offshore when it passed by Horry County between 3 and 5 p.m. Thursday, said Rachel Zouzias, a meteorologist with the weather service.
It brought little rain, no storm surge and minor winds as it passed the area, but weather forecasters did warn that strong surf and an increased risk for rip currents remain today.
In Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., there was low tide at the same time the seas peaked, which should help create less of an impact, Zouzias said. She said there may be minor beach erosion, but she had received no reports by 9:50 p.m. Forecasters weren't expecting many problems in the area.
“No concern for rivers, no concern for rains, minimal impact as far as winds,” said Mike Caropolo, the meteorologist-in-charge with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C. “Large breakers in the surf are likely. Breakers will be 8 to 12 feet south to the Santee River.”
National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said the storm had turned to the north and its speed had not changed from previous forecasts.
“We're pretty much right down the track we've been anticipating for the last two days,” Read said.
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