Tropical Storm Earl Set to Ruin Labor Day Weekend for Eastern Seaboard?
Live track Hurricane Earl, Tropical Storm Earl
Tropical Earl projected path
According to the National Hurricane Center, at 2 am, Hurricane Earl’s maximum sustained winds, 105 mph, the storm headed NNE at 18 mph. The storm’s location: The center of Hurricane Earl, 85 miles ESE of Cape Hatteras. The current projected path, Hurricane Earl will skirt the eastern seaboard with high winds, 1-5 inches of rain and dangerous surf with an estimate 1-3 ft. storm surge above ground level. A wet and wild Friday with the storm expected to head further north-north-east away from the eastern seaboard by Saturday. Labor Day could be a day or two of cleaning up after Hurricane or Tropical Storm Earl with power companies working overtime on downed powerlines. For people living in areas expected to be affected by the storm, you might consider stocking up on ice, candles, and flashlights until power gets restored.
National Hurricane Center 48 hour forecast:
AT 200 AM EDT…0600 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE EARL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 34.6 NORTH…LONGITUDE 74.3 WEST. EARL IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 18 MPH…30 KM/HR. AN INCREASE IN
FORWARD SPEED AND A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST ARE EXPECTED IN THE
NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK…THE CENTER OF EARL
WILL PASS NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS DURING THE NEXT FEW
HOURS…AND WILL APPROACH SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND FRIDAY NIGHT.
Tropical force winds are expected along the eastern seaboard as the still large category two hurricane weakens, reaching the coast of Massachusetts Friday night. Storm surges up to 1-3 feet above ground level. Rainfall totals range from 1-3 inches and 5 inches in some areas with the storm causing dangerous riptides and dangerous surf conditions.
Tropical Storm Earl Warning within 36 hours:
* SURF CITY NORTH CAROLINA TO WEST OF BOGUE INLET NORTH CAROLINA
* NORTH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA/VIRGINIA BORDER TO SANDY HOOK NEW
JERSEY…INCLUDING DELAWARE BAY SOUTH OF SLAUGHTER BEACH AND THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY SOUTH OF NEW POINT COMFORT
* THE COAST OF LONG ISLAND NEW YORK FROM FIRE ISLAND INLET EASTWARD
ON THE SOUTH SHORE AND PORT JEFFERSON HARBOR EASTWARD ON THE NORTH
SHORE
* NEW HAVEN CONNECTICUT TO WEST OF WESTPORT MASSACHUSETTS…
INCLUDING BLOCK ISLAND
* NORTH OF HULL MASSACHUSETTS TO THE MERRIMACK RIVER
* STONINGTON MAINE EASTWARD TO EASTPORT MAINE
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* NORTH OF THE MERRIMACK RIVER TO WEST OF STONINGTON MAINE
* THE COAST OF LONG ISLAND WEST OF FIRE ISLAND INLET ON THE SOUTH
SHORE AND WEST OF PORT JEFFERSON HARBOR ON THE NORTH SHORE
* NEW BRUNSWICK FROM THE U.S./CANADA BORDER EASTWARD TO FORT
LAWRENCE AND FROM TIDNISH WESTWARD TO SHEDIAC
* NOVA SCOTIA FROM FORT LAWRENCE SOUTHWESTWARD TO DIGBY…MEDWAY
HARBOUR NORTHEASTWARD TO POINT TUPPER…AND AULDS COVE WESTWARD TO
TIDNISH
* PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Long Island Hurricane Trivia:
In 1938 a powerful hurricane dubbed the Long Island Express on September 28 killed 50 people in Long Island, the majority of the deaths at or near Westhampton Beach.
Total estimated damage from the 1938 Hurricane:
* 700 deaths, 708 injured
* 4,500 homes, cottages, farms destroyed; 15,000 damaged
* 26,000 destroyed automobiles
* 20,000 miles of electrical power and telephone lines downed
* 1,700 livestock and up to 750,000 chickens killed
* $2,610,000 worth of fishing boats, equipment, docks, and shore plants damaged or destroyed
* Half the entire apple crop destroyed at a cost of $2 million
-”Tree damage was extensive throughout New York and New England where an estimated 2 billion trees were lost. (Francis, 1998) An estimated 3,500 trees were lost in the Bridgehampton-Sagaponack-Hayground area alone.”
Meteorologists predicted the storm would head northeast out to sea. Instead the hurricane picked up speed and headed due north, “Eastern Long Island and New England would later be hit with wind speeds that exceeded 180 mph!”
