According to the 5:00 PM EDT Wednesday August 3, update, Earl is now a hurricane. Hurricane Earl is located at 17.1°N 86.0°. It is moving west at 14 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next 48 hours. On the forecast track, the core of Earl will continue to pass near the Honduras Bay Islands during the next few hours. Earl is expected to make landfall in Belize tonight or early Thursday. The minimum pressure is 988 mb. Max sustained winds of 75 mph.
Hurricane Earl is the second named hurricane of the season and fifth named storm. The first hurricane was Alex, which formed in January. Bonnie, Colin and Danielle, were all named tropical storms.
NOAA predicts 70 percent of a “near normal” season. That means we’ll see 10-16 hurricanes/tropical storms, and as many as four major hurricanes are expected.
