Season’s first hurricane blusters its way along coastal Delaware and New Jersey

Earl is more of curiosity than a threat in Delaware.

The skies were cloudy and noone was in the water, so it was hard to tell that a hurricane that just yesterday was a category 4 was rumbling up the eastern seaboard.

Hurricane Earl passed east of the Delaware beaches during the noon hour.  The National Hurricane Center listed Earl as a category 1 storm heading to the north, northeast, which will put it more on a target for the New England coast.

Delaware authorities said there were not any reports of wind or rain damage.  There was some rain showers earlier in the morning.  While the beaches weren’t officially closed people did not go into the water at Rehoboth beach.

The Sussex County emergency operations center reports that while Earl didn’t present huge problems to the state it was still a major hurricane.  Operations head Joseph Thomas says beach goers should look out for rip currents and other storm after effects. 

WHYY First photographer Charlie O’Neill took these pictures at Rehobth beach as the storm and curious on-lookers passed through Friday at noon.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vGrTSFWgyQ[/youtube]

In the ocean off Belmar, New Jersey authorities have called off their search for 20 year old Pardip Singh of Carteret.  He disappeared last night after going into high and rough surf. On Tuesday 23-year-old Franky Lezin of Asbury Park drowned.

By the time Earl left Delaware and moved towards New England, winds barely topped 80 miles an hour.