Earl to be off Delmarva coast Friday morning
September 2, 2010 - 8:16am
"For most of our listening area, everybody west of Chesapeake Bay, the weather is going to be fine," ABC 7 Chief Meteorologist Doug Hill says.
Temperatures will be near 90 degrees on Friday and in the low 80s throughout the Labor Day weekend. Get the latest forecasts throughout the weekend at theWTOP Weather Center.
The biggest concern is at the beach.
A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are in effect for Virginia Beach and the Maryland and Delaware beaches.
"We've been monitoring this storm very closely," Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan told WTOP Thursday morning.
"Everybody should be responsible and use good common sense. Let's wait until this event passes through," Meehan says.
Meehan isn't discouraging people from coming to the resort, but he recommends not heading out until late Friday afternoon.
Earl, now a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to be 150 to 200 miles off the coast of Ocean City Friday morning and mid-day. Meehan says with the storm out that far the winds will be in the tropical force range of 40 mph to 50 mph.
When Earl reaches the Delmarva beaches, Hill says people should expect waves between 6 and 10 feet in height, beach erosion, dangerous rip tides, hurricane force wind gust and very heavy rain squalls.
"The beaches of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia will be gorgeous Saturday, Sunday and Monday," Hill said Thursday morning.
"The concern is for late tonight and through mid-afternoon tomorrow when Earl will remain offshore, making its closest approach, probably bringing rain squalls and tropical storm force winds to the ocean beaches and treacherous and dangerous surf conditions."
The last time a hurricane did serious damage to Ocean City was in 1986 when Hurricane Gloria struck. That was before Ocean City had a sea wall.
"Our dunes are in good shape. Our beach is good shape," Meehan says.
"The closest effects I think we're going to see are on the Chesapeake Bay and tidal rivers, where the increasing winds may cause higher than normal tides, which is why a coastal flood warning is in effect," Hill says.
Earl is expected to bypass the Virginia coast early Friday morning, but forecasters warned any deviation of the storm's track to the west could change their prediction. Forecasters say people in the Virginia Beach area will likely see high winds and seas late Thursday.
A a state of emergency has been declared in Virginia and in Maryland.
Some Amtrak trains have already been canceled ahead of the storm.
Forecasters also have their hands full with two new storms that are forming.
On Wednesday, the seventh tropical storm of the season formed far out in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Gaston had sustained winds of 40 mph and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane this weekend as it moves toward the Leeward Islands.
Tropical Storm Fiona remained north of the Caribbean with winds of 60 mph and is expected to move toward Bermuda over the next several days
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