First U.S. Landfall of Hurricane Earl - Oak Island, NC

With all eyes on the Hurricane Earl, forecasters have forgotten about the southernmost sections of the state. Oak Island, NC is a small beach suburb of the metropolitan area of Wilmington. Some 30 miles away, Oak Island is a nine mile stretch of land situated along the eastern seaboard. More importantly, Oak Island, NC is directly in the path of Hurricane Earl.

For the past several days, forecasters and meteorologists from the weather channel and the NOAA have predicted Hurricane Earl would veer toward the east and only cause minimal damage to the North Carolina coast. What the experts all agreed upon was the low pressure system was going to move Hurricane Earl and not cause damage.

Hurricane watches and warnings have been put into place from the Outer Banks of North Carolina all the way to the coast of Massachusetts. Evacuations in anticipation of Hurricane Earl have started in beach communities of Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island. Earlier today Dare County, NC has issued an evacuation in anticipation of Hurricane Earl.

The only update Oak Island, NC has received is tropical storm watches and warnings in regard to Hurricane Earl. Since Oak Island is the southernmost city, we are now feeling the first affects of Hurricane Earl. The rain started approximately 10:45 a.m. and the clouds started to roll into the sky. The seas have become rough and choppy. The surf is producing waves of 4-5 feet as of 10:45 a.m.

The last major hurricane residents of Oak Island, NC experienced was Hurricane Hazel in the '50's. This particular hurricane devastated the entire island. If Hurricane Earl does not change, is Oak Island, NC headed for another Hurricane Hazel?

Forecasts and models do have a margin for error, but Oak Island is in path of Hurricane Earl before the Outer Banks of North Carolina.