After passing dangerously close to North Carolina's Outer Banks on Thursday night, Hurricane Earl will graze the Northeast coastline on Friday into early Saturday. Southeastern Massachusetts will bear the brunt of the storm's fury.
Hurricane Earl is currently a major hurricane churning to the northwest across the southwestern Atlantic. On this bearing, Earl appears to be headed straight for the Carolinas.
A cold front should prove to be the saving grace for the entire East Coast. The front will likely spare the Eastern Seaboard from a direct hit by forcing Earl to curve to the north, then northeast.
After narrowly bypassing the Outer Banks on Thursday night, Earl will still pass close enough to the Northeast coastline to unleash some of its fury on Friday into early Saturday. Earl will remain a hurricane during this time.
Gusty winds and Earl's outer rain bands will spread northward along the mid-Atlantic coast, including over Atlantic City, late on Thursday night into midday Friday. Winds would be on the order of minimal tropical storm force.
High winds will also pound the coastline, making swimming and boating extremely treacherous.
Conditions will worsen over the southern New England coast on Friday afternoon into Friday night as Earl makes one of its closest approaches to the Eastern Seaboard. On Friday night, Earl may pass within 50 miles east of Massachusetts' Nantucket Island.
Nantucket Island, other neighboring islands and Cape Cod will likely endure strong tropical storm-force winds due to Earl's close proximity. As will be the case farther south, the winds will be accompanied by beach-pounding surf.
Drenching rain may become more of an issue across eastern New England than elsewhere along the Atlantic Seaboard.
The composure of Earl will likely change by Friday, allowing rain to be drawn northward across all of eastern Massachusetts and Maine late on Friday into early Saturday. Boston is one place where Earl's rain should pour down.
The quick pace of Earl should prevent widespread flooding over eastern New England, but localized problems could still ensue.
The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center cautions that while Earl is currently expected to remain offshore, a slight westward shift in its track would bring the storm closer to the coastline with more severe impacts.
Gusty winds will likely still be blowing across New England well after Earl departs and slams into Nova Scotia on Saturday. The winds will be whipping in the wake of the cold front that is also set to bring the entire Northeast welcome heat relief.
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