Hurricane Earl Downgraded; Expected to Impact Southeast CT

Hurricane Earl, now a Category 1 storm, is expected to move across the region this afternoon and evening bringing with it occasional heavy showers to Southbury but likely sparing it the brunt of hazardous storm conditions that is expected to affect southeast Connecticut, meteorologists said.

Although a tropical storm watch was issued for southern Fairfield County, the heavy rains and estimated 85 mph winds are likely to miss most of southwest Connecticut, forecasters with the National Weather Service said.

"Of all the areas in Connecticut, it would have the least impact there," Matt Scalora, a meteorologist with the Upton, NY-based weather service, said Friday morning.

The National Weather Service said the center of Hurricane Earl is expected to pass about 150 miles east of Montauk point on Long Island and that the greatest impact will be felt in eastern Long Island and southeast Connecticut.

At about midday Friday, the hurricane was due east of the Virginia and North Carolina border and heading north, northeast, Scalora said. By Saturday morning, the hurricane is expected to have past north into the Canadian maritime provinces, he said.

According to Weather.com, there is a 50 percent chance of rain in Southbury, Friday night, with winds of 8 miles per hour and temperature of 63 degrees.

Saturday, it will be clear, with temperatures expected around 70 degrees and no chance of rain.