Earl-y Warning: Tri-State to Bake as Storm Heads North

National Hurricane Center says Earl is now a major storm

Temperatures in the tri-state will hover in the mid-90s today as a powerful storm currently slamming the Caribbean traces a path toward the East Coast. The New York-area could be slammed by high winds and rain by the end of the week.

Officials will be closely monitoring the movement of the Category 4 storm to determine which parts of the coast will face the greatest impact. It's too early to tell right now what those might be.

Earl is forecast to potentially brush North Carolina late Thursday before running parallel to land up the East Coast on Friday and Saturday.

Early projections of Earl's path show it passing by the Northeast by Friday afternoon. Local municipalities including Nassau County have already begun hurricane preparations.

“In 1938 the Long Island Express -- a Category 2 hurricane -- decimated much of Long Island, and the people were not prepared,” said County Executive Ed Mangano. “I urge our residents to heed all warnings.”

Authorities are warning people along much of the Atlantic seaboard to beware of rip tides from distant hurricanes after a surfer died and a swimmer was reported missing in the Atlantic.

Surfers pulled 47-year-old Tazwell Brown from the water off Satellite Beach in central Florida on Saturday. No official cause of death has been determined, but investigators say the Ocoee, Fla., man appeared to have drowned.

Authorities in Ocean City, Md., called off a search Sunday for a 23-year-old man from Washington who went swimming late Saturday.

More than 250 people in Ocean City and roughly 70 more on Florida's central Atlantic Coast were rescued from rip currents.

Swimmers are also being warned to stay close to shore or out of the water altogether until Hurricanes Danielle and Earl run their course. Category 1 Hurricane Danielle was weakening far out over the north Atlantic on Monday.

In July, a Weather Channel report showed that New York City is due for a direct hit by a major hurricane. We're not trying to be alarmist, but you can find find a New York City evacuation routes here, and check out the Nassau County Hurricane preparedness page as well.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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