Hurricane Earl advisory Aug. 31, 8 a.m.
At 8 a.m. AST, Earl is moving toward the west-northwest near 13 MPH. A gradual turn toward the northwest is expected today with the northwestward motion expected to continue through Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Earl will move away from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands this morning and cross the open Atlantic east of the Turks and Caicos Islands later today and tonight.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 135 miles with higher gusts. Earl is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Some fluctuations in strength are likely over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service