World and Nation

Hurricane Earl Approaches

After five straight days sunny skies with temperatures greater than 90°F, today Cambridge will experience a different type of summer weather phenomenon; a hurricane. Hurricane Earl, which has been churning in the Atlantic for the last week, had an intensity of 115 mph and was located 670 miles south/southwest of Nantucket (off the coast of North Carolina). The hurricane is predicted to pass about 60 miles east of Chatham, MA (on Cape Cod) Friday night, and although it will have weakened due to the colder ocean waters, it should still pack some powerful winds. Cape Cod may experience winds of up to 80 mph, stormy seas with wave heights of 20 feet, as well as heavy rain. Here in Cambridge, further from the center of the storm, we should expect heavy rainfall this evening through early tomorrow morning and winds of up to 40 mph (tropical storm strength), with the possibility of stronger gusts. The rest of the holiday weekend should be sunny with milder temperatures.