Why Hurricane Earl Weakened on Path to Cape Cod

Although some damage was reported in the North Carolina’s Outer Banks due to high winds and flooding, the area did not experience hurricane-force winds.
Island evacuations start as Hurricane Earl nears East Coast

Storms following a path like Earl’s, running roughly parallel to the coast, could put millions of people in the most densely populated part of the country in harm’s way. They can also create a brief, rare season of world-class surfing on the northern Atlantic.