Earl passed north of the Virgin Islands this past weekend as a tropical storm.

Now a Category 2 hurricane, Earl is expected to become a major hurricane by Thursday morning, September 8, 2022, with winds at 130 mph. That would make it a Category 4 storm, defined as one with winds between 130 and 156 mph. A major hurricane is one with winds at least 111 mph.

Swells generated by Earl are building near Bermuda and are expected to reach the U.S. East Coast later today and tonight.

Life-threatening surf & rip current conditions

While there are no expected direct impacts on the US from Earl, according to forecasters, swells generated by the hurricane are expected to reach the East Coast later today and tonight. The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions through the weekend.

“Thankfully, Earl is going to pass over 800 miles east of the coast of North Carolina. However, hurricanes that are the size and strength of Earl can send swells outward over 1,000 miles from the storm,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Michael Doll.

A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning have been issued for Bermuda.

As of 8:00am today, Hurricane Earl was located 265 miles south of Bermuda. It had a maximum wind speed of 105 mph and heading north at 10 mph.