Earl blows past Outer Banks on path to Northeast

BUXTON, NC (AP) — A weakened Hurricane Earl howled past North Carolina’s Outer Banks before daybreak today on its way up the East Coast.

It flooded parts of the narrow vacation islands and knocked out power but stayed farther offshore than feared. There’s no immediate report of injuries.

Earl arrived a less menacing storm than it was a day earlier. By the time it sideswiped North Carolina, its winds had dropped to 105 mph from 145 mph.

Its center passed about 85 miles east of Cape Hatteras — up to 50 miles farther out than forecasters had feared.

Forecasters expect Earl to remain a large hurricane as it swirls its way up the Eastern Seaboard toward New England. Forecasters say it will stay away from New Jersey and other mid-Atlantic states but pass very close to Long Island, Cape Cod and Nantucket.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)