Earl may threaten the US Virgin Islands and Pueto Rico with hurricane force winds. These areas will be affected by tropical storm force winds. Antigua, Barbuda, Monserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, Saint Martin and Satin Barthelemy, St. Marten, Saba and St. Eustatius are under hurricane warnings, and a hurricane watch is in effect for the British and US Virgin Islands, Peurto Rico, Culebra and Vieques. This is all going to happen right away: Today, tomorrow, the next day.

Earl is only a tropical storm, Earl was upgraded to hurricane status as I was writing this post. Earl seems to have gained strength a little more slowly and intensely than previously thought, right on schedule but only a little. Earl will probably become a major hurricane some time between later today and Monday afternoon.

Here’s a map showing where Danielle went and is currently located:

Danielle is still a hurricane, but is showing some signs of weakening as it begins to move more quickly away from the equator. The storm will continue moving northeast over the next couple of days. It may then make a left hook as it dissipates and becomes a bunch of rain. Danielle is notable, however, in the very slow rate of weakening, and will remain a hurricane or well organized tropical storm longer than the average hurricane this far north. The transition to tropical (well, extra-tropical) storm is expected to occur around Tuesday morning in the Atlantic between coast of New England and northern Spain. The storm will dissipate somewhere between Greenland and Iceland. Danielle will have done a remarkable job of avoiding land masses.

Earl, already discussed above, will probably do something like this (The blue line):

Obviously, Earl is going to affect several islands, although probably not with severe direct hits as a megastorm. But, rainfall induced flooding and land slides are a major source of concern. At this point earl looks like it will come much nearer the US coast than Danielle, but seems unlikely to make landfall as a hurricane. But, it is too early to say of course.

Meanwhile, out near Africa, the rainy stormy stuff I mentioned earlier that looked promising to me in the Sahara has moved into the ocean and is now about 80% likely t become a tropical storm.

If this mass of weather energy becomes the next named storm, it will be Fiona.

National Hurricane Center has more

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