North Carolina's governor has declared a state of emergency as evacuation of the coast ahead of Hurricane Earl continues.
Gov. Beverly Perdue issued the declaration during a Wednesday afternoon briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center near the state capital.
Earl's strongest winds are expected to reach the coast Thursday night into Friday morning. Perdue warned residents along the Outer Banks to leave those areas immediately.
Storms
© Ricardo Arduengo, AP
A boy in Puerto Rico takes cover from a wave driven by Hurricane Earl on Monday.
A boy in Puerto Rico takes cover from a wave driven by Hurricane Earl on Monday.
"Excellent chance" it'll be a Category 3 as far north as New Jersey, expert says.
Hurricane Earl is on a path that could take it near North Carolina's Outer Banks (map) late this week - and unusually warm Atlantic waters mean the storm could stay a major hurricane as it travels northward along the U.S. East Coast.
As of 11 a.m. ET today, Hurricane Earl's strongest winds were blowing at 135 miles (217 kilometers) an hour, making it a Category 4 storm.
© AP Photo/Todd VanSickle
A boat is battered by waves in Sopers Hole during the passage of Hurricane Earl near Tortola, British Virgin Islands, Monday Aug. 30, 2010. The Category 4 hurricane was expected to remain over the open ocean before turning north and running parallel to the U.S. coast, potentially reaching the North Carolina coastal region by late Thursday or early Friday.
A boat is battered by waves in Sopers Hole during the passage of Hurricane Earl near Tortola, British Virgin Islands, Monday Aug. 30, 2010. The Category 4 hurricane was expected to remain over the open ocean before turning north and running parallel to the U.S. coast, potentially reaching the North Carolina coastal region by late Thursday or early Friday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned people along the Eastern Seaboard to prepare for possible evacuations and islanders in the Turks and Caicos hunkered down in their homes Tuesday as the Category 4 hurricane steamed across the Caribbean with winds of 135 mph.
Earl was expected to remain over the open ocean before turning north and running parallel to the East Coast, bringing high winds and heavy rain to North Carolina's Outer Banks by late Thursday or early Friday. From there, forecasters said, it could curve away from the coast somewhat as it makes it way north, perhaps hitting Massachusetts' Cape Cod and the Maine shoreline on Friday night and Saturday.
© Associated Press/Weather Underground
This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 03:00 AM EDT shows clouds associated with Hurricane Danielle as it begins to track northeastward as a Category 3 storm. It may regain Category 4 status on Saturday, but will weaken as it remains away from any major landmasses. Tropical Storm Earl is to the southeast of Hurricane Danielle and is moving westward. Clouds in the Gulf of Mexico are producing some showers along the Gulf Coast
This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, Aug 28, 2010 at 03:00 AM EDT shows clouds associated with Hurricane Danielle as it begins to track northeastward as a Category 3 storm. It may regain Category 4 status on Saturday, but will weaken as it remains away from any major landmasses. Tropical Storm Earl is to the southeast of Hurricane Danielle and is moving westward. Clouds in the Gulf of Mexico are producing some showers along the Gulf Coast
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Earl, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), could hit the northern Leeward Islands as soon as Sunday night. It could become a major hurricane by Tuesday - probably while north of Puerto Rico.
People on several islands stuffed shopping carts with bottled water, canned food, milk, candles and batteries, while some tourists scrambled to board flights home. Others enjoyed the beach while they could.
"I'm just trying get a good suntan in while the weather is still co-operating," said Linda Curren of New York City, sunbathing on San Juan's Ocean Park beach as a few surfers paddled into pounding waves.
Strange craft captured on film during lightning storm on August 15th in Ontario, Canada.
© Reuters/NOAA
Hurricane Danielle heading westward in the open Atlantic Ocean in a satellite image taken August 24, 2010.
Hurricane Danielle heading westward in the open Atlantic Ocean in a satellite image taken August 24, 2010.
Danielle's maximum sustained winds were near 135 mph (215 kph) with some slight strengthening possible.
Danielle was located Friday about 480 miles (770 kilometers) southeast of Bermuda and moving north-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). The hurricane's center is forecast to pass well east of Bermuda on Saturday night. But large waves and dangerous surf conditions were expected in Bermuda over the next few days, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Swells from Danielle would also begin arriving on the East Coast of the U.S. on Saturday and were likely to cause dangerous rip currents through the weekend.
© JG Photo/Safir Makki
Motorbikes splash through deep puddles of water after heavy rains lashed the Semanggi area of Jakarta.
Motorbikes splash through deep puddles of water after heavy rains lashed the Semanggi area of Jakarta.
All regions across the archipelago have been experiencing abnormal and often catastrophic weather, an official from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said.
"We have reached a super-extreme level of weather this year, the first time in our history, and this is much worse than what we experienced back in 1998, when the La Nina caused extreme weather in the country," Edvin Aldrian warned.
© Lewis Whyld/PA
Heavy rainfall has brought flooding and transport problems to parts of southern England.
Heavy rainfall has brought flooding and transport problems to parts of southern England.
Heavy rain has brought localised flooding and transport disruption to southern England, with forecasters warning of further heavy rainfall to come.
Up to 4cm (1.5in) of rain - more than half the normal monthly total - fell on parts of the south in just a few hours overnight, and there were also gale force winds in places.
© Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
A severe weather warning has been issued for southern England.
A severe weather warning has been issued for southern England.
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for parts of southern England, with up to 8cm (3in) of rain expected to fall and fears of flash flooding.
The swath of the country running diagonally from Land's End to the Wash, in East Anglia, will also get battered by strong winds, causing widespread travel disruption and affecting thousands of people holidaying in south coast resorts.
"Heavy rainfall overnight may give 20-30mm of rain quite widely and 50-80mm locally," a spokesperson for the Met Office said. "This rain will be accompanied by strong, possibly gale force winds.
"The heavy rain could lead to flooding in some areas and cause disruption to outdoor events and transport networks."
© Reuters
A helicopter flies over flooded houses in the North Korean city of Sinuiju
A helicopter flies over flooded houses in the North Korean city of Sinuiju
Pyongyang's official news agency said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had dispatched the units to the city of Sinuiju, which had been inundated after the Yalu river overflowed.
The floods, caused by 11.8 inches of rain falling in nine hours on Saturday, have also forced the evacuation of 127,000 people on the Chinese side of the border in the port city of Dandong, the main gateway for North Korea's limited trade with the world.
Chinese weather forecasters were warning of a further 10 inches of rain to fall by this morning. On Sunday it was confirmed that four people had died in the flooding in China.
Pictures from the country showed people being airlifted by helicopter from the rooftops of damaged buildings as water swirled around them.
