North Carolina, Meet Earl. Hurricane Earl, that is.

All the NOAA tracks show Hurricane Earl approaching land much closer than Danielle did.

And Earl is a powerful Category 4 storm, having pounded Puerto Rico with 125 MPH winds today.

The current worst-case storm track shows possible landfall near Cape Point on Hatteras Island, and even crossing the Pamlico Sound. That track would bring significant impact to the Raleigh Cary NC area, as well as most of Downeast North Carolina.

NOAA offers pretty good tracking of hurricanes, and is even warning us about Hurricane Fiona, which is expected to follow Earl fairly closely, albeit a little further east. No guarantees.

So, get down to the Food Lion. Fill the car with potted meat, toilet paper, beer, bread, and take other usual precautions. Really, nothing to be taken lightly here.