Riley's school dismissed at 1:00 p.m. today ahead of Earl and is on a three-hour delay for Friday. It's been overcast here all day--increasing clouds and wind as the afternoon progressed. Late this evening, I was amazed to stand outside and watch the clouds above swirl and move almost like I was watching someone hit the "fast-forward" button in the sky.
Here's a radar image I just captured--the red dot marks our spot--and we're right in the middle of the action right now.
One of our usual beach spots, Atlantic Beach, is getting hit with the wind and 12- to 14-foot waves. They are also starting to see the pier deteriorate. A couple of the pylons are coming loose and the whole thing may be gone by morning.
As of now (9:45 p.m.) the wind is really roaring and the rain has started in earnest. Thankfully, Earl has now been downgraded to a Category 2 with winds at 110 mph. The experts say that the worst will start to hit us around 2:00 a.m., but the worst will be over Friday morning.
We've "battened down the hatches" and prepared the best we can. I think we'll be just fine!
