Earl threatens East Coast with weekend pounding
(Picked up by the LA Times)
BEAUFORT, N.C. —Hurricane Earl packed winds near 125 mph as it blew toward North Carolina on Thursday, putting the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Canada on alert for a Labor Day weekend pounding by waves, gales and rain.
A hurricane warning was issued for the tip of Massachusetts, including Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. New hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches were issued for parts of Canada, adding to those already in effect from North Carolina to near the Canadian border.
[Here's the nut graf:] With winds expected to whip up in North Carolina's Outer Banks by the evening, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate said residents and tourists could no longer afford to wait on the next forecast to see how close the eye of the storm might get.
Analysis
One of the important functions of a nut graf is to put the story in a context so we know what we should care. I think the FEMA warning makes it clear why we should care — especially with the language "... could no longer afford to wait on the next forecast ... " The story goes on to say that the hurricane may not score a direct hit on the barrier islands off off North Carolina nor on areas farther up the coast. But these details are secondary to the overall threat of the hurricane, which, according to one meteorologist quoted, "is the strongest hurricane to threaten the northeast and New England since Hurricane Bob in 1991." If anything, the nut graf could be stronger if the essence of this quote could be worked into it.
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