Weakening Hurricane Earl pounds N.C., moves toward Md., Delaware

Hurricane Earl lost strength Friday morning as it moved along the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula after pounding the Outer Banks with heavy rains and strong winds overnight.

The National Weather Service downgraded the storm to a Category 1 hurricane in its 11 a.m. EDT advisory and reduced the warning areas. But it cautioned that Earl "is expected to remain a large hurricane as it approaches southeastern New England" Friday night.

Earl was packing winds of 85 mph, with hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 70 miles, as it moved toward the north-northeast at about 21 mph, the weather service said.

Earlier Friday, the weakening storm passed around 90 miles offshore after being downgraded from Category 3 to a Category 2, with winds slowing from 140 miles per hour to a still-powerful 105 mph.

Sporadic flooding was reported along the barrier islands of North Carolina, along with some power outages and relatively minor beach damage. On land, hurricane-force wind gusts of 78 mph were recorded, along with sustained winds of 60 mph.

In Ocean City, Md., and Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach, Del., winds were far less powerful. Only about an inch of rain was expected as the storm moved through between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Officials said people would be allowed on the beach in Ocean City but banned from going into the churning water.

In its latest advisory, the National Weather Service said a tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast between Ocracoke, N.C., and Sandy Hook, N.J., including the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.

In Nags Head, N.C., angry white water churned over the beaches early Friday, and power lines wobbled. Weak wooden fencing on the beach had been blown down, and garbage cans were upended. Streets were mostly deserted, save for emergency vehicles.

Kenny Wieand and Kristen Urffer, on vacation from Pennsylvania, got a shock when they headed outside. A seven-foot sand dune that hours earlier had blocked the ocean view from their beach house had vanished, hauled into the ocean by the swell.

"Our hot tub had a pretty good view of the ocean already, but now it's even better," said Urffer, a yoga teacher. "There was only a little walkway to the beach before, but it's disappeared now."

By late morning, rough seas persisted at Nags Head, but the wind and rain subsided significantly. Residents assessing the damage said Earl had not been nearly as destructive as previous hurricanes, such as Emily in 1993 and Isabel a decade later.