Hurricane Earl, which was lashing the U.S. east coast with torrential rain and heavy wind, was downgraded to category one on Friday. The National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin that the storm is weakening, as 'maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 85 miles (140 kilometers) per hour.' The hurricane is churning along the east coast on Friday, after dumping heavy rain to North Carolina. It is expected to affect areas from Virginia to Massachusetts. 'Earl is expected to remain a large hurricane as it approaches southeastern New England,' said the National Hurricane Center. 