The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) now designates Earl as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Maximum sustained winds remain at 135 mph. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is keeping a tab on Earl which is now moving towards the East Coast of the United States.

As per The WeatherBug Meteorological Operations Team:

Earl has turned to the northwest and is moving at 14 mph. Its central pressure has remained at 27.76 inches or 940 mb. Earl will continue to take more of a northwest turn through Wednesday and then start to head on a more northerly route. If the northern turn, driven by high pressure moving off the U.S. East Coast, occurs later, the Outer Banks and the Mid-Atlantic could be in Earl`s bulls-eye. Even if it stays offshore, Earl could still trigger flooding and significant beach erosion along the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Coast as the storm churns up the coast.

Fresh on Earl`s heels a newly formed Tropical Storm Fiona will follow a similar path to Earl. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued from Cape Fear, N.C. to Surf City, N.C. According to the National Weather Service, tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical storm force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Additional rainfall of 1 to 2 inches is expected today in Puerto Rico, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. The Governor of Puerto Rico has issued a State of Emergency.

FEMA says that it has activated the National Response Coordination Center and its Regional Response Coordination Centers in all four of its regional offices in the eastern United States, located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. FEMA has designated a Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) and has personnel on the ground North Carolina at the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh supporting the state, and is mobilizing personnel and supplies along the coast.