Volatile Earl
Next in the queue: Earl, Fiona, Gaston, with Hurricane Earl now upgraded to a Category 4 storm and approaching the East Coast by late today. According to the National Hurricane Center, “Only a small western deviation of the track to the west would bring the core of the hurricane to the coast.” In preparation for this contingency, mandatory evacuation orders have been ordered for North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras. Earl is a particularly volatile storm, having been downgraded to Category 3 earlier yesterday, but then revised to Category 4 by the end of the day. Earl’s maximum sustained winds have reached 135 miles per hour and may continue to accelerate. North Carolina is bracing for the possibilities of breaking waves up to 15 feet in height, four-foot storm surges and tornadoes. As the storm continues to move up the Atlantic coast, the long duration of its force winds threaten widespread power outages. By Friday, Earl should be pummeling the Mid-Atlantic States with heavy rains and winds before continuing its projected course over Newfoundland. At the present time, a hurricane watch now extends as far north as Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The severe weather over the holiday weekend will likely cause revenue losses for businesses in the tourism industry, as the last weekend of summer typically attracts beachgoers. But mitigate the losses by making sure you are prepared. I am doing my grocery shopping and errands in anticipation of working at home tomorrow.