SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A hurricane watch was issued for part of North Carolina’s coast early Wednesday as
Tropical Storm Arthur moved northward, threatening Fourth of July plans along the East Coast.
The hurricane watch in North Carolina covers an area from Bogue Inlet to Oregon Inlet, including Pamlico
Sound. A tropical storm watch was in effect for parts of Florida and South Carolina.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds early Wednesday were near 60 mph (95 kph). The U.S. National
Hurricane Center said Arthur was expected to strengthen and become a hurricane by Thursday.
With the July Fourth weekend on the horizon, the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm plodded
off Florida’s coast but wasn’t yet spooking too many in the storm’s potential path.
“I think everybody’s keeping one eye on the weather and one eye on the events this weekend,” said Joe
Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, the city’s tourism bureau.
Arthur was centered about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Wednesday and
was moving north near 6 mph (9 kph). The Hurricane Center urged those as far north as parts of Virginia
to monitor Tropical Storm Arthur’s path.
Off Florida’s Space Coast beaches — the closest to Arthur — the sky was cloudy and winds fairly normal
Tuesday, said Eisen Witcher, assistant chief of Brevard County Ocean Rescue.
Red flags warned of rough surf, and beachgoers were advised to get into the water only in areas with
staffed lifeguard stands. But overall, Witcher said, “it’s business as usual.”
Red flags also flew Tuesday at Daytona Beach. By midday, a dozen swimmers had been aided by lifeguards
when they got caught in a rip current. On any given day, 15 to 20 swimmers need help, said Tammy Marris,
spokeswoman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol.
Near the storm, 19 ill crew members were evacuated from a South Korean cargo ship after they showed signs
of food poisoning. The cargo ship JS Comet was anchored 3 miles off Cape Canaveral, and the Coast Guard
reported that deteriorating weather conditions were one factor in the decision to evacuate.
In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, officials said they would close Cape Lookout National Seashore at 5 p.m.
Wednesday and reopen when it’s safe.
The motel Shutters on the Banks was completely booked for the holiday weekend, general manager John
Zeller said, despite forecasts for potentially heavy rain, gusty winds and isolated tornadoes late
Thursday and Friday.
“We have received some cancellations but not too many,” he said. “Basically we are telling people to kind
of wait and see what happens.”
The motel has a 72-hour advance notice on cancellations, but Zeller said it will be waived if the storm
tracks toward the area or warnings are issued.
In Folly Beach, South Carolina, dozens of people fished from the pier under sunny skies Tuesday. Others
surfed on gentle swells, sunbathed and looked for shells.
In Savannah, rooms in the downtown historic district were expected to be at least 80 percent full for the
holiday weekend, when crowds pack the beach on neighboring Tybee Island.
Cancellations aren’t uncommon when storms approach, but those calls weren’t coming in Tuesday, Marinelli
said.
Amy Gaster said her Tybee Island vacation rental company had more than 200 beach homes and condos booked
for the weekend, likely to be the busiest of the year. If forecasts start to show a serious threat,
Gaster said her staff was prepared to send alerts to guests’ cellphones.
But as long as Arthur stays offshore, she said her biggest concerns are rip currents and possible
thundershowers on Thursday, when thousands are expected to pack the Georgia coast’s largest public beach
for fireworks.
“Hopefully Mother Nature is going to cooperate with us this year,” Gaster said.
———
Associated Press writers Bruce Smith in Charleston, South Carolina, and Mike Schneider in Orlando,
Florida, contributed to this report.