As Hurricane Earl continues brewing in the Western Atlantic, authorities on the Outer Banks of North Carolina are beginning to evacuate Ocracoke Island via ferry. Ocracoke Island, which is filled with close to 5,000 people on vacation, is only accessible via ferry, making it extremely dangerous should a hurricane get close, since after a certain point it is impossible to leave.

Hurricane Earl remains a major hurricane this morning, as it moves northwest at about 16 miles per hour. The national Hurricane Center has revised their projected path slightly to the west since yesterday, indicating that the Outer Banks of NC may experience strong hurricane force winds. The path takes it just offshore of the Outer Banks sometime early Friday morning, as still a major hurricane. It’s forward speed should pick up there after, placing Earl somewhere east of Cape Cod by early Saturday morning. Please see the 8am NHC projected path inset above. All interests along the US East Coast need to pay close attention to any changes made to the projected path over the next 24-48 hours.