Tropical Storm Earl a 'non-event' for region

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Bathers play in the high surf caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Earl yesterday afternoon at Salisbury Beach Reservation. Jim Vaiknoras

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September 5, 2010

By Brian Messenger bmessenger@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Sun Sep 05, 2010, 02:21 AM EDT

Charles Boisvert of Laval, Quebec, admittedly took a gamble when he and his family set off in their RV for a weekend of camping at Hampton Beach State Park.

"We listened to the weather and we said we'd take a chance," Boisvert said yesterday. "But it's OK. It's a beautiful day."

Tropical Storm Earl passed by the New England coast in the early morning hours yesterday, its heavy rain and high winds hitting the Cape and Islands region the hardest. But by daybreak in most other areas, there was little remaining evidence of Earl's arrival.

"If you're a sound sleeper, you definitely missed most of the action," said William Babcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Area police departments reported no major storm-related incidents yesterday.

National Grid Spokeswoman Debbie Drew said 5,500 customers in Pelham and Salem, N.H., briefly lost power around 2 a.m., but reported no other significant outages.

North Andover Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Coco called Earl a "non-event."

"No issues," he said. "We're thankful, all in all, that things turned out the way they did."

Methuen Emergency Management Director John Santoro said he had about a dozen volunteers on call and ready to travel to Cape Cod or the South Shore to offer assistance.

"We weren't needed," he said. "Mother Nature at her best. She's fickle. She can change her mind at any time. You've got to be ready."

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Spokesman Peter Judge said storm damage was minimal on Cape Cod and places like Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

"Obviously, the storm wasn't as impactful as predicted," he said.

The highest number of customers without power in the state at one time was 1,800, Judge said. That number was down to about 500 by 7 a.m. yesterday.

"At this point, I think everybody is back up and running," he said.

Babcock said Earl came within about 70 miles of Nantucket at roughly 1:30 a.m. yesterday. Mid-week projections just days before had the storm passing within 20 to 30 miles, he said.

"This was a serious storm, and it had a lot of power when it was out in the tropics," he said. "If it had come on shore, it would have caused damage."

A Category 4 hurricane earlier in the week, Babcock said Earl was downgraded to Category 1 by 5 p.m. Friday and down to a tropical storm by the time it passed Nantucket.

"As it trended north, it weakened," he said.

Yesterday, campgrounds at the Salisbury Beach Reservation were reopened after being closed Thursday in anticipation of the storm. Swimming restrictions remained in effect.

Back in Hampton, Tim McKenna, of Salem, N.H., said it turned out to be a pretty decent beach day, albeit a windy one.

"I don't think it scared too many people away," he said.

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