Weakened Earl Heads to New England

Hurricane Earl significantly weakened as it barreled past the Outer Banks of North Carolina toward New England on Friday morning. The storm has now been downgraded to a Category 2, packing winds of 105 mph, dropping from 145 mph Thursday. Though Earl cut power and caused some flooding along the Outer Banks, Nantucket, about 90 miles south of Boston, is the next U.S. target before it hits Canada Saturday, according to Neal Strauss, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency, and FEMA will provide emergency disaster aid for the state.