As the Fourth of July weekend comes close, the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm has slowly started strengthening off Florida’s coast early Wednesday.
At 5 a.m Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center reported that the Tropical Storm Arthur was located about 90 miles east of Cape Canaveral. A tropical storm watch has been placed in effect for Florida’s east coast, Sebastian Inlet to Flagler Beach.
The forecasters have said that Arthur was becoming better organized but the storm is likely to stay just offshore, the storm has been expected to pass northeastern Florida by Wednesday night and would move parallel to the southeastern U.S. coast, becoming a hurricane by Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds were recorded at 60 mph. The storm has picked up speed and is currently moving north at 6 mph. The NHC predicts a turn to the north-northeast Wednesday night followed by a turn toward the northeast and an increase in forward speed on Thursday.
A hurricane watch has also be placed into effect from Bogue Inlet to Oregon Inlet in North Carolina. Also a tropical storm watch has been placed into effect from south Santee River South Carolina to South of Bogue Inlet and from north of Oregon Inlet to the North Carolina/Virginia border which includes eastern Albermarle Sound.