Tropical storm warning lifted as Arthur moves away from North Carolina’s Outer Banks
Heavy rain and 50-mph winds hit the North Carolina coast Monday due to Arthur, a tropical storm that formed more than two weeks before the official start of hurricane season
A tropical storm warning was issued Sunday for parts of the coast, as the storm’s path shifted westward toward the Outer Banks, the National Weather Service says.
“Minor inundation from storm surge of up to 2 feet is possible in low-lying areas along the Outer Banks,” the National Weather Service said early Monday in a tweet. “A few tornadoes are possible.”
The warning was lifted for the area, and no watches or warning are in effect as the storm continues to move away from the Outer Banks, the weather service said in a 5 p.m. update.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, Arthur was 110 miles east/northeast off Cape Hatteras with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and stronger gusts, according to the NWS. Tropical storm-force winds range from 39 to 73 mph.
Tropical storm-force winds are currently extending out 115 miles from the center, officials said. A NOAA weather buoy 20 miles off Cape Hatteras recorded a gust of 49 mph before 11 a.m., NWS officials said. A gust of 46 mph was recorded at the Alligator River Bridge around 2 p.m., the NWS says.
Another buoy located about 50 miles northwest of the storm’s center recorded wind speeds of 38 mph and a 45 mph gust, the NWS said in the 5 p.m. update.
Over the past 24 hours, the Newport and Cape Carteret areas of Carteret County have had about 5.5 inches of rain, the National Weather Service reported Monday. The Havelock area of nearby Craven County reported 4.32 inches of rain over the past 24 hours, the report said.
The storm is moving about 16 mph but is expected to pick up speed and move northeast later Monday then turn east Tuesday, forecasters say.
Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 though Nov. 20. This marks the sixth straight year that a named storm has formed prior to the official start of the season, The Weather Channel reports.
Experts say warm temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean suggest an above-average number of storms is ahead this season.
A Colorado State forecast predicts 16 named storms, with eight reaching hurricane strength and four reaching at least Category Three, which is a “major hurricane,” The News & Observer reported.
Professors at N.C. State University predict 18 to 22 named storms, above the 14-storm average from 1995 to 2019. And Lian Xie, a professor of atmospheric dynamics and marine meteorology, expects three to five major hurricanes, according to The N&O.
Some strong winds are possible for parts of the coast overnight, with a chance of showers early and a slight chance of thunderstorms in some areas, the NWS said just after 5 p.m. Monday. Seas between 8 and 14 feet are also expected in some locations.
The storm is still generating swells on the Southeast coast, which could cause life-threatening rip currents, according to the NWS. The swells could impact the Southeast during the next couple days.
It’s expected to strengthen some over the next 24 hours, the NWS says, but it should lose its “tropical characteristics” on Monday night or Tuesday.
This story was originally published May 17, 2020 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Tropical storm warning lifted as Arthur moves away from North Carolina’s Outer Banks."
