(AccuWeather) – Tropical Storm Arthur formed on Saturday night off the coast of Florida, making it the first named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Now, forecasters say the storm has its sights set on eastern North Carolina.
Although the official start of hurricane season is June 1, there has been a preseason tropical system for most of the last 10 years, so it is not uncommon to have tropical activity this early, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis. Arthur makes this year the sixth straight year for a system to develop before the official start of the season.
As of 8 a.m. EDT Monday, Arthur had sustained winds of 45 mph and was located about 50 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm is forecast to pass very close to or just over North Carolina’s Outer Banks later Monday with rain and gusty winds.
A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of the North Carolina coast by the National Weather Service shortly after the Outer Banks beaches were reopened to visitors on Saturday. Cars lined up on the mainland side of the bridge waiting to cross over to the islands right at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday morning. READ MORE
