VietJoy

The first named tropical storm of the 2020 season is moving toward North Carolina after drenching eastern Florida.  The storm, named Arthur, formed in the Atlantic Ocean two weeks before the start of the official hurricane season.

It swirled around the eastern coast of Florida last week, dumping a heavy rainfall on the area between Miami and Fort Lauderdale before moving north. Meteorologist say that Arthur will brush past North Carolina’s Outer Banks islands on Monday, bringing rain and high winds to the state’s coast.

Officials have issued a warning asking residents in the eastern parts of North Carolina to be prepared for winds of up to 60 kilometers per hour starting late Sunday up until Monday morning. The winds could be strong enough to break some trees and cause some power outages.  But meteorologists do not expect the storm to make landfall.

Arthur will bring dangerous waves and, together with the rainfall, they could flood low-lying areas of the coastal region. People are advised to stay away from the ocean.

Weather officials say that as the system moves across the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, it could build up strength.  Sea surface are above the average across most of the Atlantic but are cooler in the North Atlantic.

Arthur is expected to push away from the U.S. Coast after passing by North Carolina, in the middle of the week.

In Florida, rains fell at the rate of almost 5 centimeters per hour, causing widespread flooding in Miami and the surrounding area. A severe thunderstorm with gusty winds and lightening hit the metro area again Saturday evening.

The U.S. hurricane season typically starts June 1, but there have been exceptions. Last year, subtropical storm Andrea formed south of Bermuda a week before Memorial Day, but did not last long.   

In 2018, tropical storm Alberto made a Memorial Day landfall along the Florida Panhandle, and made it all the way to lower Michigan in the north before dispersing.   

Some tropical storms have formed in April.