All eyes on Earl....Big cool-down this weekend....

**Be sure and check out the Earl Cams and Streams page**



All eyes are on Hurricane Earl. Earl is a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 145mph sustained winds as of this morning. I think Earl has now peaked in intensity, and some gradual weakening will likely take place today. My feelings are that the center of Earl will likely pass just east of the Outer Banks as a Category 3 late tonight.

For the Outer Banks, rain will move in later today, and the wind will increase into tonight. There will likely be a several hour period of hurricane-force winds as the center makes its closest pass.

Surf will increase all up and down the Carolina coast today. Stay out of the water.....there will be tremendous rip currents. For the Outer Banks, a storm surge of 3-6 feet seems likely tonight, and waves near shore will likely be 10-maybe even 20 feet.

For the interior Carolinas, it will be hard to tell a major hurricane is so close. Some high clouds will be possible at times, but no rain, and winds only in the 10-20mph range. Highs today will be in the low to mid 90s.

Behind Earl, Friday will be hot with highs in the mid 90s. But bit changes are right around the corner....

Labor Day weekend...

The big cool-down is still on tap for the Labor Day weekend. Highs Saturday through Monday will only be in the 80s, and lows Sunday and Monday morning will drop into the 50s in many Piedmont locations. Mountain lows will dip into the 40s.

Highs will briefly return to the 90s for the middle of next week before we cool down again toward the end of the week.

Elsewhere in the tropics...

Fiona is very weak and will head in the general direction of Bermuda.

Gaston will likely take a farther south track as it heads toward the northeast Caribbean, but it will be a very slow mover. It likely will still not have reached the northeast Caribbean islands by Tuesday or Wednesday next week.