Carolinas Keep E On Edouard

Rugged surf threatened northeast Florida as a powerful Atlantic hurricane appeared ready to turn northward Thursday, and residents of this Caribbean town braced for a brush by yet another hurricane.

The mid-Atlantic states were urged to keep a close eye on Hurricane Edouard, which was packing winds of up to 140 mph and was expected to turn slowly northward.

Forecasters said it was too early to say whether Edouard would hit the U.S. mainland.

“Anybody from the Carolinas northward should be paying attention to Edouard because it’s not completely clear what happens three days (from now) and beyond,” said forecaster Mike Hopkins of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A rough-surf advisory was posted for northeast Florida beaches over the Labor Day weekend. The weather service said Edouard should pass well east of Florida, but could come ashore in the Carolinas. It was projected to cause dangerous rip currents and moderate easterly swells starting Thursday night.

The height of the Atlantic hurricane season is late August and mid-September.

Hotel and restaurant owners along the North Carolina coast - hoping for a strong Labor Day weekend - lamented the storm’s timing.