A powerful Hurricane Earl threatened to lash much of America’s East Coast, forcing Labour Day holidaymakers to rethink spending the traditional last week of summer at the beach.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle strengthened slightly today as the storm headed toward North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but its rain and winds were not expected to inflict much punishment as it slogged across the state’s famous chain of barrier islands.

Hurricane Ophelia picked up strength as it closed in on North Carolina today, but many in the storm's path had shrugged off the threat of wind and flooding rain and ignored pleas to evacuate.

Hurricane Ophelia was downgraded to a tropical storm again today as the indecisive weather system moved slowly off the Atlantic coast, its outer bands of rain not quite reaching land.

HURRICANE Isabel left 15 people dead and knocked out power to more than 4.5 million people before weakening into a tropical depression yesterday as it raced toward Canada swamping some tidal communities along Chesapeake Bay.

HURRICANE ISABEL screamed ashore in North Carolina yesterday as furious winds and torrential rains forced evacuations throughout the US mid-Atlantic region, the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights and shut down the federal government in Washington.

Nearly a million people were without electricity on America’s east coast tonight as hurricane Isabel slammed ashore.

The large eye of a weakened Hurricane Isabel crossed the coastal islands off North Carolina today as the storm pounded the coast.