First Hurricane of the Season
11:00 a.m. update: Arthur is continuing to intensify with maximum sustained winds now 90 mph, as of the 11 a.m. National Hurricane Center (NHC) update. Significantly, NHC now expects Arthur to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, with peak winds around 105 mph Friday morning (around 8 a.m.)
Original post, from 9:47 a.m.: Arthur was upgraded to the season’s first hurricane at 5 a.m. EDT today, and has begun the turn toward the northeast that will take it very near the Outer Banks late tonight. The intensifying storm poses multiple hazards for the North Carolina coastline including a 3-5 foot (or more) storm surge, several inches of rain and strong tropical storm to even hurricane force winds.
