Hurricane Earl Downgraded to Category 3; Storm Warning in Effect for Jersey Shore

Hurricane Earl has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane and is expected to hit the North Carolina coast sometime Thursday evening with winds nearing 125 miles per hour.

On the Jersey Shore, residents are still taking precautions.

"I've taken my umbrella and brought it in, I'm looking at the tide, it looks like it's coming very high up on the beach," says Nathalee Lapidus, of Beach Haven, who is ready to ride out the heavy rains and high winds.

But Ross Dickman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, says parts of the Jersey Shore may likely be spared. "They are not going to get the brunt of the hurricane; once you go interior to New Jersey, the chance of the winds actually exceeding tropical storm conditions actually decrease quite rapidly."

The Jersey shore is under a Tropical Storm Warning, while areas further inland are under a Tropical Storm Watch. New York City will most likely experience the storm tomorrow afternoon with 40 mile an hour winds.

City officials are still encouraging residents to prepare emergency supply kits and the Office of Emergency Management says those kits should include a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, non-perishable food and at least one gallon of bottled water per person per day.