Hurricane Earl

story by Reuters

MIAMI - Hurricane Earl strengthened to a major Category 3 storm on Monday as it lashed the Caribbean's northern Leeward Islands on a track that could see it swiping the U.S. East Coast in the next few days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Earl, now the second major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic season, was churning with sustained winds of 120 mph, the Miami-based center said. Additional strengthening was expected in the next 48 hours.

The hurricane was moving west-northwest on a curving track that the National Hurricane Center said would take it east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the next few days.

Hurricane center forecaster Jessica Schauer said authorities along the U.S. eastern seaboard should closely monitor Earl's progress.

"Right now it's forecast to pass off the coast of Cape Hatteras, probably within about 300 miles but that forecast track can change," she told Reuters.

Schauer said a direct hit to the North Carolina coast could not be ruled out.

On its current path, Earl posed no threat to the Gulf of Mexico, where major U.S. oil and gas installations are located.