Hurricane Earl continues to churn towards the Maritimes

HALIFAX - Tropical storm watches have been extended to Cape Breton and Iles-de-la-Madeleine as hurricane Earl barrels toward Atlantic Canada.

The Category 2 storm _ which is now east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina _ is expected to make landfall in the vicinity of western Nova Scotia or the Fundy coast of New Brunswick early Saturday.

 The Canadian Hurricane Centre says Earl's maximum sustained winds are about 167 kilometres an hour and the storm is moving north-northeast at 30 km/h.

 Hurricane watches remain in place across southwestern Nova Scotia -- in Queens, Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby counties.

 Other areas of mainland Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are either under tropical storm watches or warnings.

In southeastern New Brunswick, rainfall warnings and tropical storm watches are in effect.