Hurricane Earl approaches

It's a much weakened system as I type this...a minimal CAT 1 with max sustained winds of 80mph. Not quite the healthy CAT 2 that had been forecast! On top of that, the track has shifted ever so slightly east...far enough east to greatly minimize the storm's effects on Connecticut.

The southeast Cape and Islands of Massachusetts still stand a chance to get whacked with some nasty weather. It should be enough to produce a decent seabird show at dawn on Saturday. As of right now, that's where I'll be headed very early Saturday morning. I'd be out there right now if not for work getting in the way.

Despite this storm being weaker and further away than initially expected, remember that it was one heck of a nasty storm just 24 hours ago and has been moving as a cyclone through the South Atlantic, the Caribbean, and right up the Gulf Stream. It has come into contact with many birds along the way, so really anything from that part of the world could be displaced off the New England coast. Even if the odds seem slim, I would get out and look anyway.

Will report back, positively or negatively, following the storm, wherever I end up.

- NB

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