(Bloomberg) — Arthur strengthened off the coast of NorthCarolina to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season,packing maximum winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour.
|The system was about 190 miles south-southwest of Cape Fear,North Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said inan advisory at 5 a.m. local time. It was traveling north at 9 milesper hour and is expected to move near to the North Carolina OuterBanks tonight, the advisory said.
|Related: Tropical Storm Arthur — From Space (With Warning, Watch and TrackUpdates)
|“Hurricane Arthur is going to greatly affect the Outer Banks ofNorth Carolina,” Rob Richards, meteorologist at State College,Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather Inc. said by phone today. “Theycould see winds as high as maybe 90 to 95 miles per hour withflooding rainfall.”
|Arthur would be the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since 2012should it strike North Carolina's Outer Banks. A hurricane warningis in place from Surf City, North Carolina, to the border withVirginia, Pamlico Sound and Eastern Albemarle Sound, the noticesaid.
|Officials in Dare County, North Carolina, where at least 250,000vacationers are spending their Fourth of July holiday, issued amandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island beginning today.
|A countywide state of emergency was declared in neighboring HydeCounty, where officials called for a voluntary evacuation ofOcracoke Island. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declaredstates of emergency throughout coastal areas.
|–With assistance from Lynn Doan in San Francisco.
|Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.
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