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Title: Hurricane Earl Hits Category 4, 130 Mph Winds; On Track To Brush U.S. This Week
Source:
CBS/AP
URL Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/30/national/main6818593.shtml
Published: Aug 30, 2010
Author: CBS/AP
Post Date: 2010-08-30 18:59:10 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 2884
Comments: 2
Hurricane Earl has churned into a big Category 4 storm as Puerto Rico braces for winds, rain, heavy sea. Winds from a category 4 storm can range from 131-155 miles per hour. Earlier Monday Hurricane Earl lashed the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rains and sustained winds of 125 mph while moving on a course that could threaten the eastern United States later this week. A hurricane watch has been issued for Puerto Rico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Earl, which formed yesterday, is likely to keep growing. Earl is expected to brush the Mid-Atlantic coast of the U.S. in midweek, with its closest approach to North Carolina on Thursday, reports CBS News correspondent Don Teague. The Hurricane Center said it is early to say what effect Earl would have on the U.S., but warns it could at least kick up dangerous rip currents. A surfer died in Florida and a Maryland swimmer has been missing since Saturday in waves spawned by now-weakening Hurricane Danielle. "Interests from North Carolina all the way to Maine should keep an eye on the system," said Jessica Schauer, a meteorologist at the Hurricane Center. By late Monday morning, Earl was about 140 miles east of San Juan and headed west-northwest at 15 mph, according to the center in Miami. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 60 miles from its center. The center of Earl will pass near or over the northernmost Virgin Islands Monday afternoon and evening. Earl could bring battering waves and storm surges of up to five feet above normal on some islands, as well as downpours that threaten to unleash flash floods and mudslides. The storm has caused flooding in low-lying parts of the Leeward Islands. On the British territory of Anguilla, police said the wind blew the roofs off buildings and damaged utility poles. "The winds are whistling outside," said Martin Gussie, a police officer involved in coordinating the emergency response. "When the gusts of wind come, each time it sounds stronger." In Antigua, powerful wind and rain destroyed at least one home and at least eight people had to be evacuated, though there were no reports of critical injuries. Emergency response officials said about 350 people were in shelters. Local weather authorities reported at least 5 inches of rain and 10-foot waves. In St. Maarten, the storm toppled trees and knocked out electricity to much of the island but there were no reports of serious damage. Heavy gusts of wind swirled debris across streets that were empty due to a government-imposed curfew. Alisha Daya, a 24-year-old tourist from Milwaukee, said she wore earplugs Sunday night but still had trouble sleeping because of the noise from the wind and crashing waves at the Oyster Bay Beach Resort in St. Maarten. "It was loud because we were right on the ocean," said Daya, who said the storm will keep her and her parents and boyfriend from leaving the island as planned on Monday although the worst seemed to have passed. "Some furniture is flying around, but everything seems to be OK." Cruise lines diverted ships to other ports in the Caribbean and Mexico as a customary precaution for tropical weather. Antigua's V.C. Bird International Airport closed, and regional airlines LIAT and Winair suspended flights. The projected track had the storm passing close to or over the British Virgin Islands. In Anegada, the territory's northernmost island with a population of about 280 people, 58-year-old Lila Elly Ali and her son were nailing shut the doors of her century-old, wooden house as the wind began picking up. "They say the eye of the storm is supposed to come close to us, so we've just got to pray. Everyone here is keeping in touch, listening to the radio," she said. At the El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, a long line of people waited at the reception desk - as the lights occasionally flickered - to check out and get to the airport, where they faced more delays. John and Linda Helton of Boulder, Colorado, were waiting it out. The couple, celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary, finished a Caribbean cruise on Sunday and planned to spend three days in Puerto Rico. "There was a huge line of people checking out as we were coming in and I thought it was just that summer vacation must be over," said John Helton, a real estate appraiser. "But we paid for the room so we might as well stick it out." Besides, "I don't think we could get a flight even if we wanted to leave," his wife added. The U.S. Virgin Islands imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. Monday to 5:30 a.m. Tuesday for the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. Police Commissioner Novelle Francis said anyone found on the street during those hours without a pass will be taken into custody. Hurricane warnings were issued for the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques, and remain in effect for Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Turks and Cacos Islands. Earl became a hurricane Sunday morning and has continued to grow rapidly in strength, fueled by warm ocean temperatures of 86ºF. Steady bands of rain began falling late Sunday on islands including Antigua, where the Grand Pineapple Beach Resort on the north side battened down early as a precaution. Winds were heavy but had not caused any major damage, and the surf was higher than normal but not punishing, general manager Courtney Miller told The Associated Press by phone. Earlier Sunday, islanders stocked up on food, water and supplies, set up shelters and tied down boats in harbors across the northern Caribbean as Earl blew toward the region. In St. Kitts and Nevis, authorities urged people to take all necessary precautions for the hurricane, which is dwarfing the tiny island nations and territories of the northern Caribbean. "We really don't want any loss of life, whether by persons who are careless or by security or emergency persons trying to rescue people," said Carl Herbert, head of the local emergency management agency. Hardware stores did a brisk business in plywood and boards as jittery residents and employees of gleaming tourist hotels prepared to safeguard windows and doors. "We haven't been hit for quite a few years, but you may never know - this might be the time," said Ashley Benta, from the Antiguan town of Gray's Farm. The area felt the effects of a weakening Hurricane Danielle, which created dangerous surf conditions over the weekend. On Saturday, there were 250 water rescues in Ocean City, Md., alone, with one swimmer missing and presumed drowned, reports Teague. To the south, a surfer died after being found unconscious in an unsupervised area of Cocoa Beach, Fla. And a third storm is forming about 900 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. Forecasters say there's a 90 percent chance Fiona will become a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Watch it track farther west. If it hasn't turned from WNW in three hours. South Carolina.
From the Space Station at Sun Set: http://twitpic.com/2jpnfa/full
#2. To: Brian S (#0)
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