8 p.m. update: Earl barely hanging on as hurricane

In the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center, Earl is now barely a category 1 hurricane, with wind speeds of 75 miles per hour.

At 8 p.m., the center of Earl was at latitude 39.1 north, 70.8 west, some 145 miles southeast of Montauk. The eye is now east of Long Island.

The winds in eastern Suffolk were not very high. Mountauk was recording a gust of 18 MPH while Westhampton announced a gust of 26 MPH. Sustained winds at both locations did not reach 20 MPH.

However, authorities fear the worst from Earl won't come in the air but in the ocean. Storm surge could be as much as 3 feet on LI's shores, including the Sound.