Hurricane Arthur closed in on the US East Coast Thursday, just in time for the Independence Day holiday, with forecasters warning it was on track to become a potentially destructive category-two storm.
The first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was packing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles (145 kilometers) per hour and growing in strength, forecasters said, warning North Carolina — home to many popular holiday destinations — would bear the brunt of Arthur´s fury.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said emergency preparation efforts had been made more complicated by the arrival of thousands of tourists, who have flocked to beaches for the annual summer holiday pilgrimage.
Heavy rain and strong winds lashed the North Carolina coast, but the eye of the storm was not forecast to hit until the evening, when it was expected to become a category-two storm, before heading up the coast and threatening areas as far north as Nova Scotia in Canada.
