Earl charging northward

Above: Frisco Pier on Hatteras Island yesterday (Photo by Don Bowers) and above that photo the one I took in late May.

The center of Hurricane Earl this morning is about 85 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and moving north northeast at 18mph. This appeared to be the storms closest approach to the Outer Banks. Overnight winds have gusted to hurricane force over Ocracoke and Hatteras Island with sustained winds close to 60mph. Surge and wave action have caused damage to dunes and roads. Nearly 3 inches of rain fell from midnight to 5am. There are reports that Highway 12 along the islands is under water in places and that flooding of 2 to 3 feet occurred in Hatteras Village. Highway 12 is closed at Oregon Inlet.

I also noticed a story on Frisco Pier that was badly damaged by recent storms. Portions of it fell into the pounding surf yesterday, and I would be very surprised if it survived the night. The pictures above are the one I took on a calm day in May followed by the one from Don Bowers on the Outer Banks yesterday. The full story is available at Island Free Press.

With Earl now pressing north, seas and winds will diminish along the Outer Banks, but increase along the coast from Virginia northward to Cape Cod. Hurricane Warnings remain posted for Cape Cod and the islands. Further north, a wide variety of high wind, heavy rain and storm warnings are in effect for Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec. Our primary concern should be with the southern counties of coastal Nova Scotia and New Brunswick around the Bay of Fundy. These areas could experience significant flooding due to storm surge.

I will update more information at 8am this morning.