by Ted Keller
Earl Will Steer Close to the U.S.
11:33 am in Tropics by Ted Keller
Forecast Track for Earl
Cape Hatteras “sticks out” into the Atlantic. For this reason, it catches the curve of many a tropical storm or hurricane. Earl may be the next one!
Earl became a minimal hurricane early today. It is on a path which takes it on the northern edge of the Leeward and Virgin Islands.
Earl is forecast to become a major hurricane by Tuesday with a borderline category 2/3 rating on the Safir-Simpson scale (below)
This storm is following a very typical track for late August hurricanes. The included map shows the climatology of August storms including frequency and favored paths.
Radar Loop of Earl
| Saffir-Simpson Category |
Maximum sustained wind speed | ||
| mph | m/s | kts | |
| 1 | 74-95 | 33-42 | 64-82 |
| 2 | 96-110 | 43-49 | 83-95 |
| 3 | 111-130 | 50-58 | 96-113 |
| 4 | 131-155 | 59-69 | 114-135 |
| 5 | 156+ | 70+ | 136+ |
August Hurricane Climatology
