The hurricane that wasn't
Earl’s wind history, mapped by the National Weather Service, shows that no hurricane force winds blew into Long Island.
Hurricane Earl came and went Friday bringing rain to Shelter Island but no significant wind. The forecast shifted throughout the day, as noted below, but ended with no problems. For emergency personnel, the storm that wasn’t proved to be a valuable practice drill.
Saturday morning
The Shelter Island Police confirmed that there were no storm-related incidents during the passing of Earl. Sunny skies and warm breezes ushered in the Labor Day weekend.
Friday evening
Rain, heavy at times, is all the Island got from Earl, which was downgraded to a tropical storm by 11 p.m. Strong winds did not reach Shelter Island. The rain total on Shelter Island for Friday was 1.71 inches, according to weather.com.
Friday
11 a.m.
Local authorities this morning issued a press release saying
the “peak” of Earl should arrive to the area about 3 p.m. today.
National Weather Service meteorologists say the actual eye of the storm
won’t pass Long Island until later tonight.
The now-downgraded storm should bring with it winds in the 20- to
30-mph range, with wind gusts up to 50 mph, and between 2 and 3 inches of rain, according to the
weather service.
Friday
8:25 a.m.
The latest from the National Weather Service in Upton:
Hurricane
Earl will begin to impact the area today and will pass east of the area
later tonight. A cold front Saturday morning will usher a much cooler
airmass for the holiday weekend. A gradual warming trend will then
develop through the middle of next week.
Skies are cloudy with upper
level moisture streaming northward from Hurricane Earl, currently
passing just east of the North Carolina capes. Rain bands remain well to
the south and other than a few light showers precipitation is not
expected before late morning.
Temperatures will rise slowly this
morning, and with extensive cloud cover and easterly flow, highs are
expected to reach the low 80s.
The forecast track of Hurricane Earl
remains unchanged. Earl is expected to make a turn in the northeast,
bringing the center about 125 miles east of Montauk Point later tonight.
Earl
is still expected to produce tropical storm force winds across eastern
Long Island, much of Long Island Sound and the Atlantic coastal waters.
The potential for heavy rainfall still exists on Eastern Long Island. Expect little to no precipitation after midnight.
7:25 a.m.
Forecasters
at the National Hurricane Center have said Earl has weakened
dramatically overnight. The storm is now expected to be a Category 1
hurricane with winds at 80 miles per hour when it passes Long Island
this afternoon.
Thursday
The National Weather Service is predicting Hurricane Earl will close in on Long island Friday.
The storm is expected to make initial landfall at Cape Hatteras in North Carolina; Outer Banks residents were evacuated on Wednesday morning. The storm, a category 3 hurricane, is being carefully tracked as it approaches Long Island as either a hurricane or tropical storm.
Regardless of its ranking upon arrival, the town is preparing for strong winds, heavy rain and possible power outages.
Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty said Tuesday that the highway/public works department is stockpiling gas and diesel fuel and is planning to secure beach areas by picking up green garbage receptacles ahead of the storm.
“We tested all the generators this morning,” Mr. Dougherty said. The town has a large generator at the Highway Department building and a portable one at the police station — the location would serve as command headquarters during a natural disaster.
Police Chief James Read, who serves as the town’s emergency management coordinator, is participating in daily conference calls with emergency officials from Suffolk County and other towns as well as LIPA and the American Red Cross, he reported to the Town Board Tuesday.
Mr. Dougherty issued a statement late Wednesday saying, “LIPA will have two or three crews on the Island in advance of the storm. I want to thank LIPA on behalf of all Shelter Islanders for their support.”
Chief Read asked residents to be prepared to go without power for three to four days. A loss of power would mean a loss of running water. Stockpiling three to four days worth of water (1 gallon per person per day), food and other necessities is also recommended as is securing outdoor furniture and equipment.
“Hopefully this is just a great drill and we don’t get anything from this storm. If not … I don’t want to over-hype it but everybody should be prepared,” Chief Read said.
Who to call if the lights go out
• If your power goes out during a storm, call LIPA at 1-800-490-0015.
• If electrical wires or poles are downed, call the Shelter Island Police at 749-0600.
— CARA LORIZ