Hurricane spares state for Labor Day weekend

WINSTED — Of all of the areas spared the would-be wrath of Hurricane Earl during the 2010 Labor Day weekend, northwest Connecticut came up sparkling, graced with just a few clouds to go with sunny skies and dry winds.

Local parties went on as planned, while occasional visits to the television or laptop computer confirmed Earl was steadily heading in the right direction — away from us — as the weekend progressed.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a weekend statement that Connecticut had weathered Earl very well. “Nature continues to give Connecticut a lot of breathing room,� she said. “The waning intensity of the storm, combined with the slight change in direction, has meant that the winds and rains have so far been much more moderate than the National Hurricane Center computer models predicted. For that we can all be grateful.�

The storm had been predicted to have its greatest impact on the state between 8 and 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3. By late evening, the state’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) had received no reports of injuries, major damage or widespread power outages.

Still, the storm had consequences for East Coast towns from North Carolina to Massachusetts, where states of emergency were declared in advance of the storm. At its peak, Earl was a Category 4 hurricane, brushing by North Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 2, heading northeast and out to sea, as it climbed up the coast

By the time it reached Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Earl had been downgraded to a tropical storm. There were some heavy rains and wind reported in southeastern Connecticut, Charlestown, R.I. and along the Rhode Island coast, but no major damage was reported. Cape Cod, Mass. towns reported high surf throughout the holiday weekend.

The storm eventually made landfall in Nova Scotia, where it was declared a minor event.

Seven state parks and campgrounds in southeastern Connecticut were closed due to Hurricane Earl, but reopen early Saturday morning. The parks and campgrounds included Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, Hopeville Pond State Park in Jewett City, Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, Salt Rock Campground in Sprague and the Green Falls and Mount Misery campgrounds in the Pachaug State Forest.

“Thankfully, the storm weakened more rapidly than National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted and, also unexpectedly, shifted course to the east just as it neared the state,� Rell said. “Connecticut caught a lot of breaks from this storm, and the same seems to be true for our parks.�