Combative Trump blames diversity policies after air tragedy    Palestinian born after father was jailed hugs him for the first time    FireAid: Stars take to stage for LA benefit concert    New Zealand mountain gets personhood    Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies at 78    Saudi King and Crown Prince express condolences over deadly mid-air collision in Washington    Saudi, Russian foreign ministers discuss regional issues in phone call    MWL chief meets Italian president in Rome; thanking him for supporting two-state solution    Ettifaq sack Steven Gerrard after poor results, appoint Saad Al-Shehri as new head coach    National Cybersecurity Authority launches 2nd phase of Postgraduate Scholarship Program    GASTAT: Real GDP records growth of 4.4% in Q4 2024    Saudi Arabia launches inaugural Art Week Riyadh on April 6-13    Saudi crown prince and European Council president discuss over phone ways to enhance cooperation    NEOM's THE LINE set to begin vertical construction by end of year    HP is redefining the Future of Work with AI    Mona Lisa to be moved as part of major Louvre overhaul    Neymar bids heartfelt goodbye to Al-Hilal: I will always support you    Al-Nassr announces transfer of Brazilian forward Talisca to Fenerbahçe    SFDA chief rules out plan to ban sale of cigarettes or vapes    Al Hilal and Neymar mutually agree to part ways    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Hurricane Earl takes aim at northeastern US
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 03 - 09 - 2010

A weakening Hurricane Earl swiped past North Carolina on Friday on its way to the northeastern U.S., where officials warned residents that it still packed dangerous winds.
Earl dropped to a Category 1 storm _ down from a powerful Category 4 a day earlier _ with sustained winds of 80 mph (129 kph). The storm could weaken to a tropical storm by the time it passes about 50 to 75 miles (80 to 120 kilometers) southeast of Nantucket on Friday night, AP cited National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read as saying.
«The good news on Earl is it has been steadily weakening, maybe even a little quicker than forecast,» Read said.
Nantucket police chief William Pittman warned island residents against complacency, saying Earl was «still a dangerous storm» with severe winds that could be stronger than those carried by the gusty storms the island is used to absorbing.
The National Hurricane Center reduced the New England areas under a hurricane warning to just Cape Cod and the islands. The rest of the New England coast remained under tropical storm warnings and watches.
As of 2 p.m. EDT, Earl's center was located about 290 miles (465 kilometers) south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and moving north-northeast at nearly 21 mph (33 kph).
Most of the hurricane force winds were expected to remain offshore. The National Weather Service was forecasting winds up to 65 mph (105 kph) on Nantucket with gusts up to 85 mph (137 kph). On Cape Cod, winds up to 45 mph (72 kph) with gusts of up to 60 mph (100 kph) were expected.
Earl sideswiped North Carolina's Outer Banks early Friday, flooding the vacation islands but causing no injuries and little damage. The storm's winds had dropped by then to 105 mph (169 kph) from 145 mph (233 kph) a day before.
Hurricane-force winds, which start at 74 mph (119 kph), apparently did not reach the Outer Banks, said the National Hurricane Center's chief forecaster, James Franklin. Officials had urged some 35,000 visitors and residents on the Outer Banks to leave the dangerously exposed islands as the storm closed in, but hundreds chose to wait it out in their boarded-up homes.
In Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Thursday as he urged residents not to panic.
On Friday, many seemed to be following his advice. Traffic was light on both bridges to and from Cape Cod, where the air was still and heavy rains started in the late morning.
In downtown Chatham, a quaint fishing village at Cape Cod's eastern edge, tourists strolled the bookstores, cafes, candy shops and ice cream parlors on Main Street, largely unconcerned about the coming storm. A handful of stores had put plywood over their windows.
Scott Thomas, president of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, said island residents were taking the coming storm in stride.
«This is not something that is really unheard of for us, in terms of being prepped for it and being ready to handle something like this,» he said. «We kind of roll with the punches out here; it's not a huge deal for us.»
In New York City, officials were on alert but said they expected to see only side effects of the storm _ mostly rain and high winds, with possible soil erosion on the beaches and flooding along the oceanside coasts.


Clic here to read the story from its source.