Charlotte to avoid Hurricane Earl but ‘above normal’ tropical storm season possible in NC
The East Coast could be hit by powerful rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Earl continues building past Bermuda.
Threatening strong winds of at least 100 mph could potentially develop into a Category 3 storm. The National Hurricane Center predicts Earl could turn into a “powerful post-tropical cyclone” on Saturday as it approaches the United States.
Charlotte, though, will see minimal to no effects of the storm, local meteorologists say.
The hurricane first formed in the Caribbean, east of the Northern Leeward Islands, the Associated Press reported. The storm will continue to pass Bermuda on Friday and visit the Northern Atlantic over the course of the weekend and through early next week, according to Jason Myers, a meteorologist at WBTV.
Atmospheric and oceanic conditions have led the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to believe that an “above-normal” hurricane season could be seen this year.
But WCNC meteorologist, Brad Panovich, says this year’s season has been “strangely quiet” up until now.
“Things are starting to get active just in time for the peak of the season this weekend,” Panovich told The Charlotte Observer. “While having an above average number of storms can increase our chances of impacts, it only takes one storm hitting you to make for a bad season.”
Panovich said Hurricane Earl will not have a direct impact on Charlotte, or most of the U.S. for that matter, but could still lead to rip currents this weekend.
“Even though Hurricane Earl will not directly hit the U.S., it will create a rough surf and lead to an increased rip current risk for beaches along the Carolina coast this weekend,” Panovich said.
Despite the general absence of risk to the Charlotte area, the hurricane season will continue through November 30, giving conditions time to form tropical storms, Myers warned.
“Of course, it only takes one tropical system to have big impacts for the Carolinas,” Myers told the Observer. “We do expect the potential for multiple tropical systems to develop through the month of September, yet diminish in activity as we continue into the months of October and November.”
Steering currents have the power to keep nasty weather conditions at bay, and the longer that happens, the better the chances Charlotte will have of avoiding the impacts of hurricane season, meteorologists said.
“That could change in the coming weeks,” Myers said. “Normally, though, if we can get to mid-October without anything, our chances of being hit decrease quickly. The more we can get Autumn cold fronts to move in, the less the chance of hurricane activity here in the Charlotte area.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 11:47 AM.
