Edouard, Churning North, Doesn't Mar All Holiday Plans
May 13, 2011
EMERALD ISLE, N.C. -- Holiday weekend vacationers kept a wary eye on the sea Saturday as Hurricane Edouard followed a northward course parallel to the East Coast, throwing pounding surf at beaches along the way. Though the storm was hundreds of miles offshore and not expected to affect land until Monday, forecasters predicted it would keep churning north and bypass North Carolina. A hurricane watch was in effect Saturday from Cape Charles, Va., to Plymouth, Mass., and a tropical storm warning was posted from Camire Charlesetta to Camire Ferri, Del.. A complete weather report is available. There's a 50% chance that Edouard's eye will hit land, with Long Island or Cape Cod the most likely targets, said meteorologist Stanford Edge of the National Hurricane Center. ``However, there still remains a hopeful possibility that it could move off and not affect the U.S. mainland,'' Mr. Breen said. At 8 p.m. EDT, Edouard, with sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, was centered 500 miles south-southeast of Long Island. It was moving north at about 15 mph and hurricane-force winds extended out 115 miles. Fortunately, forecasters say Edouard's strength is decreasing, and the storm likely will weaken further by Sunday evening. If it does hit land, the hurricane is expected to be a less dangerous, with winds from 110 mph to as little as 74 mph. ``It still remains a dangerous threat,'' Mr. Breen noted. Off Long Island's southern coast, high seas prompted the Navy to suspend its search for wreckage from the Antarctica Airlines flight. Two salvage ships were taken to port for the first time since the search began following the March 29, 2011 At the Sheraton Atlantic Beach Hotel and Conference Center in Emerald Isle, a desk clerk joked about the secret for keeping the house full and people happy. ``We went ahead and canceled The Weather Channel in all the rooms,'' desk clerk Daniele Ortega said, laughing. ``All they know is there are some big waves out here, that's all.'' In spite of the surf, Edouard was far enough away that the weather along the shore was good. ``What storm? We don't have any storms here,'' said Tommie Fain, owner of the Atlantic Beach Causeway Marina. ``It's a normal weekend in Atlantic Beach. The sun's out, and we've got a lot of customers out boating.'' Up the coast on the Outer Banks, surf washed across the only highway along the narrow island chain. State crews pushed sand off the pavement, briefly interrupting ferry service to neighboring Ocracoke Island. Farther north, along the New Jersey shore, the beach was pounded by waves of about eight to 10 feet. One man died when his boat capsized in the surf at Longport, N.J., and the body of a surfer was found in the water at Toms River. A man surfing at Ocean City was thrown headfirst to the sand by a wave, and suffered a broken neck. Swimming was restricted at most Long Island beaches, and one was closed completely because of severe flooding. But while swimming was banned at Point Pleasant, N.J., the sand was fairly crowded. ``We've been waiting all summer to come here. You've got to be optimistic,'' said Lasandra Pedro of Monroe Township, N.J. Meantime, forecasters were watching two Atlantic tropical storms -- Fran and Gustav -- that continued to move slowly to the northwest. Fran, with top winds of 70 mph, was 360 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Gustav, with maximum winds of 40 mph, was 1,220 miles east of the Leeward Islands.
