The first named hurricane of the season formed off the East Coast on Thursday and threatened to wash out some Fourth of July plans. Hurricane Arthur is expected to blow through the Outer Banks of North Carolina on July 4th, leading officials to evacuate the popular vacation destination.
The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds Thursday morning were 80 mph as the storm’s outer bands started to reach southern parts of North Carolina. Hatteras island was under a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and residents, with officials asking an estimated 35,000 people to leave through North Carolina Route 12, the only road on and off the island.Forecasters expect Arthur to whip past the Outer Banks — a 200-mile string of narrow barrier islands with about 57,000 permanent residents — on Friday without making landfall but still bringing rain, heavy winds, storm surge and dangerous rip tides.
The National Hurricane Center predicted Arthur would glance the North Carolina coast early Friday morning with winds of up to 85 mph and then rapidly move north to New England later in the day. Arthur is expected to continue into the Canada’s maritime provinces and make landfall there as a tropical storm.
Arthur’s track prompted a hurricane warning for much of the North Carolina coast. Tropical storm warnings were posted for coastal areas in South Carolina and Virginia.take our poll - story continues belowDo you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Completing this poll grants you access to Shark Tank updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.Outer Banks residents and out-of-town visitors who fail to evacuate ahead of the hurricane’s expected arrival should prepare for possibly getting stuck for several days without food, water or power, National Hurricane Center forecaster Stacy Steward said Thursday.
“We want the public to take this system very seriously, go ahead and start their preparations because time is beginning to run out,” he said.