THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 19, 1996 TAG: 9606190376
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 53 lines
Tropical storm watches and warnings went up along the coast of the Carolinas on Tuesday from the Virginia state line south to Edisto Beach, S.C., as the season's first tropical depression was upgraded late Tuesday to Tropical Storm Arthur.
Gusty winds and rain - the main problems from this minimal storm - are expected to extend into North Carolina today, and depending on its path, could affect Southeast Virginia.
The National Hurricane Center expects the storm center to reach the North Carolina coast this morning. But tropical storm-strength winds are expected to affect a much wider section of coast by dawn.
On the Outer Banks, ``Winds will turn more easterly and increase to 20 to 30 miles an hour with higher gusts'' by this morning, said Hugh Cobb of the National Weather Service office in Wakefield.
``Tide levels are forecast to rise to 2 feet above normal over the northern portions of the Albemarle Sound and to 3 feet above normal over the Currituck Sound,'' Cobb said. ``This may result in some soundside flooding at the times of high tide.''
High tides will occur at the Currituck Beach Light at 10:24 a.m. and again at 10:33 p.m.
Emergency services officials in the coastal counties of North Carolina were keeping close tabs on the storm's progress, as were their counterparts in Hampton Roads. Officials had ordered no specific civilian action.
A tropical storm watch was in effect Tuesday night from north of Cape Lookout to the Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, with storm warnings from Edisto Beach to Cape Lookout, N.C.
At 5 p.m., the Hurricane Center said the poorly defined center of the depression was about 130 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C., moving north near 13 mph. That motion is expected to continue today. Maximum sustained winds remained near 35 mph with higher gusts in squalls primarily north and east of the center.
``However, only a small increase in the winds would bring the depression to tropical storm status'' with winds in excess of 39 mph, said Lixion Avila, a hurricane specialist at the Hurricane Center. ``Rainfall totals up to 5 inches
While the storm is expected to come ashore today, it is not forecast to remain over land for long. Instead, a trough of low pressure is expected to move east today and nudge the storm back into the Atlantic on a northeasterly track.
After that, the storm is expected to weaken and eventually dissipate, possibly as early as Thursday. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
STORM WINDS
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm] by CNB