A live picture of the hurricane, courtesy of earth.nullschool.net. If the map does not show, click link or open in a different browser.
United States: Hurricane Arthur made landfall over North Carolina, sustaining 160kph winds, forcing vacationers to evacuate and millions to reschedule their Independence Day plans.
The storm’s eye passed over Cape Lookout in the Outer Banks early morning on Friday, with wind gusts making conditions unsafe.
The storm’s eye passed over Cape Lookout in the Outer Banks early morning on Friday. The wind gusts made for unsafe conditions.
Heavy winds
Arthur brought rain, heavy winds, storm surge and dangerous rip currents. Category 2 hurricanes pack winds of more than 160kph.
Arthur became the first hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic season on Thursday after sparking evacuations along part of the North Carolina coast, where it threatened to disrupt Independence Day celebrations.
Hurricane warnings on North Carolina's coast stretched from Surf City to the Virginia border. A hurricane watch was in effect for other parts of the state.
A tropical storm warning covered parts of South Carolina and Virginia, as well as Nantucket Island and parts of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Arthur-related worries also prompted some East Coast cities to reschedule or delay fireworks and other July Fourth festivities and to warn of dangerous rip tides.
The annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks show was moved up a day to Thursday night because of potential heavy rain ahead of Hurricane Arthur.
Several towns and villages rescheduled Independence Day festivities and fireworks plans as the storm picked up speed.
The resort town of Ocean City, Maryland, said it was moving its July 4 fireworks display to Saturday because of the storm.
A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when maximum sustained winds reach 119kph.
