Looks like I left the beach just in time…
As of 11 a.m., Hurricane Earl was positioned 725 miles south southeast of Cape Hatteras and is moving northwest at 17 mph. Most computer models continue to indicate Earl will remain offshore though a couple have the center briefly passing over the North Carolina outer banks, where hurricane watches remain in effect. These watches have been extended to cover the VA/MD/DE beaches. Earl’s maximum sustained winds are 125 mph, down from 135 mph this yesterday — making it a Category 3 storm.
For the VA/MD/DE beaches, impacts will likely be less pronounced but not insignificant. Some showers and wind gusts to tropical-storm force are possible late Thursday night into Friday, with strong wave action, dangerous rip currents, and the possibility of minor coastal flooding. Though a hurricane watch has been issued for the VA/MD/DE beaches, hurricane force winds are not especially likely there unless the storm shifts west.
Darksyde at Kos adds an Update: I’ve just been told some noon models show a slight shift toward the west. Which is not the way we want it go.
Okay, time to turn on the weather channel and figure out which way this hurricane is heading.