‘Intense’ Earl May Threaten East Coast

Forecasters said the “large and intense” Hurricane Earl was 1,000 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at 8 p.m. [ET] last night. The center of the Category 4 storm was about 245 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island with top sustained winds of 135 mph, and was moving toward the northwest at 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. This storm is likely to take a gradual turn toward the north-northwest. A hurricane watch was posted yesterday for the East Coast from north of Surf City, North Carolina, to the North Carolina-Virginia border. Officials said communities from Virginia to New England should monitor the storm.