Earl Weakens Slightly, Still Packing 125 MPH Winds

MIAMI (AP) - Hurricane Earl is weakening slightly but it's still packing winds near 125 mph as it blows toward North Carolina's coast.

Earl is now a Category 3 hurricane, and it's expected to pass the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a powerful storm tonight.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre has added a hurricane watch for Nova Scotia to the long list of warnings and watches in effect for a huge swath of the U.S. East Coast.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate says residents and tourists can no longer afford to wait on the next forecast to see how close the eye of the storm might get.

More on the storm from MyFox Hurricane .