High Winds, Heavy Surf: Tropical Storm Arthur Advances On NC

NORTH CAROLINA — Coastal North Carolina braced for tropical-storm force winds and heavy rains Monday as Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, advanced on the state.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Surf City to Duck, North Carolina, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. As of 11 a.m. Monday, the storm was located about 20 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras with sustained winds of about 50 mph, moving north about 16 mph.

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere within this area within the next 36 hours.

The National Hurricane Center said Arthur is expected to stay offshore, but will still produce strong winds.

The National Hurricane Center warned of possible life-threatening surf and rip current conditions across much of the U.S. southeast and mid-Atlantic coasts through at least Tuesday.

Arthur was expected to pass the Outer Banks of North Carolina by late Monday morning, packing sustained winds up to 65 mph. The storm is expected to dump up to 3 inches of rain near the coast, prompting a coastal flood advisory in parts of eastern North Carolina, NC Emergency Management said.

"On the forecast track, the center of Arthur will begin moving away from the North Carolina Outer Banks this afternoon. Arthur is then forecast to turn away from the east coast of the United States tonight and Tuesday," the National Hurricane Center said Monday.

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The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. It is not uncommon to have named storms prior to the official start of the season.

This year's list of Atlantic storm names includes Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.

The Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center will issue its outlook for the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins on May 21, just ahead of the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Patch Editor Paul Scicchitano contributed to this article.