Arthur became a hurricane at 5 a.m. Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. By noon Thursday, winds had increased to 90 mph. Further strengthening will occur as it gets closer to the Outer Banks Thursday night. As winds increase to over 95 mph, Arthur will become a category two hurricane.
The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center brings the center of Arthur over the Outer Banks after midnight. Winds could gust over 100 mph as it passes. The highest winds will hit the North Carolina coast by midnight, and last overnight, before lessening Friday morning.
As the storm moves away from the Virginia coast on Friday, some gusts over 50 mph are possible, especially near the Eastern Shore. Away from the immediate coast, wind gusts will not be as strong.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for southeastern Virginia and the Atlantic coast of the eastern shore. A hurricane warning is in effect for the North Carolina coast.
This photo is courtesy of astronaut Reid Wiseman. He captured this from the International Space Station on Wednesday, when Arthur was still a tropical storm.
