LI in tropical storm watch, warning for Earl
Long Island officials looked with wary, anxious eyes at Hurricane Earl Wednesday as the storm regained strength and churned toward North Carolina, but decided against issuing orders to evacuate vulnerable communities such as Fire Island, and cautioned residents and visitors to prepare for downpours and tropical-storm-force winds at the start of the Labor Day weekend.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the coast of Long Island from Fire Island Inlet northward to Port Jefferson Harbor and eastward, while west of the Inlet and Port Jefferson is under a tropical storm watch.
The hurricane, which had dipped earlier Wednesday to a Category 3 storm, was classified by the National Hurricane Center as a Category 4 by Wednesday night with maximum sustained winds of about 140 mph. A tropical storm watch was issued for areas from Sandy Hook, N.J. to Woods Hole, Mass., including all of Long Island.
This morning, the National Hurricane Center had the core of the hurricane about 400 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at 18 mph. Wind speeds had increased to 145 mph and the center of the storm was expected to pass the North Carolina coast later today and the Outer Banks tonight.
Earl is expected to take a gradual northward turn and eventually pass 100 to 200 miles east of Montauk. Rain and wind are predicted to begin buffeting the Island, particularly the East End, after midday Friday and through a good part of Friday night. In its advisories, the center described Earl as a "large and dangerous hurricane," noting that hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 200 miles.
The hurricane is heading toward Long Island on the last holiday weekend of the summer, when beaches and hotels - particularly those on the East End - usually are packed with vacationers. Southampton and Southold town officials recommended that weekend visitors not travel there until Saturday. East Hampton and Riverhead officials stressed that visitors should follow weather reports.
"I don't in any way want to discourage people from visiting our beautiful town," East Hampton Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said.
Suffolk and Nassau emergency managers said several inland shelter locations would be opened if conditions take a turn for the worse. They warned people to prepare for extreme weather, stay out of rough surf and keep an eye on the forecast.
"The worst of it, obviously, will come upon the East End of the Island, east of Riverhead, where the winds will be 30 to 50 miles per hour," Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said at news conference. "We do not anticipate at this time having any evacuations. We will continue to monitor the situation on a day-to-day and hour-by-hour process."
On Long Island, forecasters said winds of at least 39 mph are expected Friday night, with a 5 percent chance of hurricane winds. "The center of circulation is expected to remain offshore," said meteorologist John Murray of the National Weather Service's Upton bureau. "Friday night [it] could be anywhere between 100 and 200 miles offshore southeast of Montauk."
Forecasters said the East End may get up to 11/4 inches of rain Friday, western Suffolk may get a 1/4-inch to a 1/2-inch, and Nassau may see up to a 1/4-inch of rain.
Officials already have issued coastal flood, rip current and small-craft advisories for the Island. There is an increasing risk of dangerous rip currents at ocean beaches for the rest of the week, the weather service said. Boaters were told to be aware of potentially dangerous conditions.
The National Park Service said ferry service to Fire Island National Seashore sites at Watch Hill and Sailors Haven would be suspended Friday. Fire Island vacation communities said they did not plan to cancel service.
With Mark Harrington and John Valenti
