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Tropical
Storm Arthur strengthened off the coast of Florida and is forecast to
become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season today, prompting
alerts as far north as Virginia.
Bloomberg News
Tropical Storm Arthur to Become Season’s First Hurricane
Tropical Storm Arthur strengthened
off the coast of Florida and is forecast to become the first
hurricane of the Atlantic season today, prompting alerts as far
north as Virginia.
The system was about 160 miles (257 kilometers) south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, the U.S. National
Hurricane Center in Miami said in an advisory at 11 p.m. local
time yesterday. It was moving north at 8 miles per hour and
packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. A storm becomes a
Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale when
its top winds reach 74 mph. “Strengthening is forecast and Arthur is expected to become a hurricane” as soon as today, according to the advisory. “The core of Arthur is expected to approach the coasts of South and North Carolina.”
The storm would be the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since 2012 if it reaches that level and strikes North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Its movement up the coast will also stall a cold front out of the western U.S., triggering heavy rains along the Eastern Seaboard.
Evacuation Orders
Officials in Dare County, North Carolina, where at least 250,000 vacationers are spending their Fourth of July holiday, issued a mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras County beginning today.A countywide state of emergency was declared in neighboring Hyde County, where officials called for a voluntary evacuation of Ocracoke Island. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declared states of emergency throughout coastal portions of the state.
A hurricane watch is in effect from Little River Inlet to south of Surf City. Tropical storm watches and warnings stretch from the Santee River in South Carolina to the Cape Charles Light in Virginia.
“Interests along the U.S. East Coast north of the warning area, primarily in southeastern New England, should monitor the progress of Tropical Storm Arthur,” the hurricane center said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net; Heesu Lee in Seoul at hlee425@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net Ramsey Al-Rikabi, Yee Kai Pin
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