Earl: Evening update
Hurricane watch hoisted for North Carolina coast.
Hurricane Earl, mining those record-warm waters in the North Atlantic, continues to churn menacingly as a Category 4, with peak winds of 135 m.p.h.
Despite a westward trend, computer models continue to keep the center offshore as it tracks up the coast.
However, in geographic extent it is a large storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 90 miles from the center, and tropical-storm winds, 200 miles. So expect widespread watches and warnings.
It looks to be a scary few days along the North Carolina coast, but Earl still is forecast to hang a right turn sometime tomorrow.
The most-likely effects for the Delaware and Jersey coasts will be rip currents and maximum feasbile sea foam from Rehoboth to Sandy Hook.
It is also possible that the Shore will get brushed with tropical-storm winds and rains on Friday, but it's unlikely that any of that rain would make it ver far inland.
The storm should be scooting toward Nova Scotia on Saturday, but it may take a few days for the ocean to settle down, said Gary Szatkowski, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.
Otherwise, the weekend is looking fabulous, with the sun returning on Saturday, and pleasant temperatures.