The National Weather Service declared Tropical Storm Arthur a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic early Thursday morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami extended a hurricane warning from Surf City, North Carolina just south of U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejune north to the Virginia border. The warning also included Pamlico Sound and Eastern Albemarle Sound.
The storm is expecteced to deliver its worst blow to North Carolina's coast in the early hours of the July 4 holiday, dropping anywhere from two to six inches of rain and causing estimated 2- to 4-foot storm surges along the coast, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts could reach up to 105 mph.
The storm is the first named hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Local officials issued a mandatory evacuation order Wednesday for residents and visitors on Hatteras Island, a small barrier island off the state's north coast.
Dare County officials told people to evacuate during daylight hours on Thursday "before the effects of Tropical Storm Arthur begin to bring high winds, rough seas, dangerous rip currents and the potential for water and sand overwash on NC Highway 12."
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency earlier Wednesday for coastal counties as Tropical Storm Arthur threatened to bear down on the state's coast with winds reaching 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
McCrory told the public and tourists visiting for the Fourth of July weekend not to underestimate the storm and to avoid going into the water.
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
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