Tropical Storm Arthur threatened to douse some July 4 holiday plans on the U.S. East Coast as officials in several states closed beaches and tourist sites and delayed fireworks shows in anticipation of heavy rain and fierce winds, according to The Associated Press.
The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was close to reaching hurricane strength, forecasters said on Wednesday, leaving some businesses worried about taking a financial hit as the storm prepares to hit full blast by fourth of July, the AP reported.
The Outer Banks will be especially vulnerable, forecasters said, according to the AP. The area's tourism agency expects about 250,000 people to travel there and stay in hotels and rental homes for the long holiday weekend.
A hurricane warning was in effect along North Carolina's coast, while part of the South Carolina shore was under a tropical storm warning, the National Hurricane Center said, according to the AP.
Arthur was expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday night or Thursday as it passes well east of Florida's northeast coast, the NHC said, the AP reported. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when top sustained winds reach 74 mph.
The storm remained out at sea with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph on Wednesday, about 220 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, the Miami-based weather forecasters said, according to the AP.
Arthur could be packing Category 1 hurricane-force winds of 85 mph when the outer bands brush the Carolinas on Thursday and Friday before weakening, according to forecasters, the AP reported.
The storm could produce dangerous rip currents along the coasts of several Southern states, forecasters said, dumping up to 2 inches of rain across the Carolinas and causing flooding from storm surge, according to the AP.
