North Carolina:
Hurricane Earl's powerful gusts and driving rains are churning over the Outer Banks of North Carolina and starting to be felt in southeastern Virginia.
National Weather Service meterologist Jeremy Schulz said early Friday morning that rain bands stretched about 140 miles inland in North Carolina and up to the southern tip of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
Sustained winds of about 30 mph were whipping the North Carolina coast. The U.S. Coast Guard station at Hatteras reported a gust of 67 mph just before midnight.
One portion of N.C. Highway 12 in Rodanthe was closed because of ocean overwash. Local officials hoped to have it clear by daybreak.
Earl had weakened on Thursday but even its edges were packing powerful winds as it heads up the Eastern Seaboard Friday.
The storm still packed enough of a punch to send rain sideways and shake signs on the Outer Banks. On Nags Head, the tops of small trees bent in the howling gusts and beach grass was whipping back and forth on dunes leading to the ocean.
The Coast Guard plans a flyover at first light Friday to access damage and rescue people if necessary.
It was the start of at least 24 hours of stormy, windy weather along the East Coast.
National Weather Service meterologist Jeremy Schulz said early Friday morning that rain bands stretched about 140 miles inland in North Carolina and up to the southern tip of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
Sustained winds of about 30 mph were whipping the North Carolina coast. The U.S. Coast Guard station at Hatteras reported a gust of 67 mph just before midnight.
One portion of N.C. Highway 12 in Rodanthe was closed because of ocean overwash. Local officials hoped to have it clear by daybreak.
Earl had weakened on Thursday but even its edges were packing powerful winds as it heads up the Eastern Seaboard Friday.
The storm still packed enough of a punch to send rain sideways and shake signs on the Outer Banks. On Nags Head, the tops of small trees bent in the howling gusts and beach grass was whipping back and forth on dunes leading to the ocean.
The Coast Guard plans a flyover at first light Friday to access damage and rescue people if necessary.
It was the start of at least 24 hours of stormy, windy weather along the East Coast.
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