Tropical Storm Arthur (tmi3rd)

Good evening, Morons and Moronettes. If I'm sticking my head in, it must mean we've got some tropical weather to talk about. While I don't think this is going to be anything particularly dramatic, that's easy for me to say, as I'm not in its path.

More details below the fold...

The 11 PM EDT advisory has Arthur as a strong tropical storm, with winds of 70 mph and gusts to 85. It is projected to intensify to a minimal hurricane overnight, and the center of circulation is projected to pass over the outer banks of North Carolina overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

Arthur's center of circulation is currently located about 160 miles south-southeast of Charleston, SC, and is moving north at 8 miles per hour. Its minimum sustained pressure is 988 millibars, and is expected to fall as the storm strengthens.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:

Surf City northward to Duck, Pamlico Sound, and eastern Albemarle Sound
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

Little River Inlet to south of Surf City

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

South Santee River South Carolina to south of Surf City, north of Duck to Cape Charles Light Virginia, not including Cheasepeake Bay, and western Albemarle Sound

Storm surge for the affected areas are expected to be anywhere from 1-4 feet, but the thing I'd like to call your attention to is the possibility that the storm hugs the East Coast. If that happens, you may be in for a wet Fourth of July from DC north to Boston.

If you live in coastal areas from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to northeastern South Carolina, it's time to wrap up your hurricane preparations and get inland. If you live in coastal areas north of the Outer Banks, I'd advise you to keep a close eye on this storm until it turns out to sea.

The good news is that the really ugly stuff usually sticks to the northeastern quadrant of the storm, but you'll still be looking at a stiff easterly breeze all the way up the coast until the storm passes. Please don't do anything to summon Charles Darwin like surfing in the surge (duh, but I still have to mention it), and the results will hopefully be fairly non-dramatic.

Hope this doesn't screw up your Fourth of July plans, but everyone stay safe and have a good one! I'll keep you up to date nightly from the AoSHQ Weather Desk.

-tmi3rd

posted by Open Blogger at 11:09 PM

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