Hurricane Earl Restrengthens Out To Sea—But ‘Life-Threatening’ Rip Currents Threaten East Coast

Topline

Hurricane Earl’s winds intensified to 105 mph Friday afternoon as the massive storm raced toward the open waters of the north Atlantic Ocean, but forecasters are warning there will be “life-threatening” surf and rip currents along much of the East Coast throughout the weekend, even as Earl’s center remains several hundred miles off shore.

High surf and dangerous rip currents are expected along the East Coast this weekend from Hurricane … [+] Earl, even though the center of the storm will remain hundreds of miles off shore.

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Key Facts

Earl’s 105 mph maximum sustained winds match the highest recorded for the Category 2 storm, which is the strongest system so far in the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.

The storm’s central pressure—another common measure of hurricane strength—dropped to 954 millibars, marking a new peak intensity.

Earl is expected to remain out to sea and gradually weaken over the coming days as it transitions to an extratropical system, but swells due to the system’s immense size will impact the East Coast all weekend—National Weather Service offices from south Florida to New England are warning of the threat.

Waves were already gaining in size Friday off areas like Cape Cod, prompting concerns given many beaches are no longer staffed with lifeguards.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 275 miles from Earl’s ragged eye, making it much larger than a typical hurricane.

Surprising Fact

Forecasters say there is a very short-term window over the coming hours where Earl could strengthen a bit more. If Earl’s winds reach 111 mph or higher it would be classified as a Category 3, which would make it the first major hurricane this season.

Key Background

Tropical activity has ramped up this month following an unusual lull between early July and the end of August. Tropical Storm Danielle’s formation last week ended a stretch of more than eight weeks without a named storm. Danielle went on to strengthen into a hurricane, the first of the season, before moving out to see in a similar fashion to Earl.

Tangent

Tropical Storm Kay in the eastern Pacific is bringing heavy rains to parts of the drought-stricken Southwest, prompting concerns the sudden moisture rush will lead to flash flooding. An active tropical system affecting the western U.S. is an extremely rare occurrence.

What To Watch For

Forecasters are monitoring three more areas of disturbed weather over the tropical Atlantic and west Africa, though none have a better than 20% chance of developing over the next five days.