5 p.m. update: Earl is now a Category 4 hurricane.

The latest National Hurricane Center prediction still shows Earl mostly missing us (by 50-100 miles off Nantucket) but with a decent chance we could see tropical-storm-force winds (sustained winds of 39 mph). Still, they do caution:

THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT NHC AVERAGE TRACK FORECAST ERRORS ARE 200 TO 300 MILES AT DAYS 4 AND 5. GIVEN THIS UNCERTAINTY...IT IS TOO SOON TO DETERMINE WHAT PORTION OF THE U.S. EAST COAST MIGHT SEE DIRECT IMPACTS FROM EARL.

As you might expect, weather geeks are practically beside themselves speculating that Earl could smack us right upside the head, especially since the category-3 hurricane - with sustained winds now of 125 mph - could strengthen over the next 48 hours. A.J. Burnett at Channel 25 is advising boat owners to start preparing now to secure their boats, just in case.

Most cool photo of Earl at sunset as seen from the International Space Station.