RALEIGH — Business owners, beachgoers, and fishing captains on North Carolina’s Outer Banks were warily watching tropical weather Monday that could rain out one of the last busy weeks of the summer.
The first weather system was expected to become a tropical storm before brushing the North Carolina coast Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and high winds to barrier islands popular for serene beaches. Another tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico could hit northern Florida as a tropical storm later in the week and then move up the Atlantic coast toward North Carolina, though its exact path is hard to predict days in advance.
Coastal Dare County in North Carolina could face winds of up to 45 mph with higher gusts and heavy rain that could flood low-lying areas from through Wednesday, according to an emergency management news release. To the south, Carteret County officials also warned of flooding and advised residents to closely monitor forecasts.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for areas of the coast from Cape Lookout to the Oregon Inlet along the Outer Banks.
“I would advise everybody to take a look at the weather,” Dare County emergency management director Drew Pearson said in an interview when asked whether visitors should keep their travel plans. “They need to make those decisions based on what they see in the weather forecast.”
As of 11 a.m., the first depression was located about 200 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras with top sustained winds of 35 mph and moving to the northwest. It was expected to become a tropical storm by Tuesday but not grow stronger than that, said National Weather Service meteorologist Shane Kearns in eastern North Carolina.
“Anything is possible, but we’re not really seeing any kind of significant strengthening for the storm,” he said in an interview.
The second depression was about 170 miles southwest of Key West Florida with maximum winds of 35 mph. It was moving west, but forecasters expect it to curve back to the northeast in the coming days.
Staff for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was discussing the weather conditions with visitors to its popular campgrounds, according to a National Park Service news release. It said tent camping isn’t advised during a tropical storm.
Business owner Jennifer Scarborough said her biggest concern was that the first storm could saturate the area before another blow by the second storm.
“The second storm is the one I’m more worried about,” she said. “I’m definitely keeping an eye on it and planning accordingly. … If we have a lot of rain in a short amount of time that could be a problem. “
Roads along the thin barrier islands are prone to flooding and damage from erosion, including the two-lane N.C. Highway 12 that is the area’s primary north-south artery.
“N.C. 12, our lifeline on Hatteras Island, even in a winter storm has some challenges,” Pearson said.
Scarborough, who manages Hatteras Harbor Marina and owns the Harbor Deli next door, said she’s getting concerned calls from customers and that some captains are canceling fishing trips for Tuesday and Wednesday. With Labor Day approaching, this week represents one of the last busy stretches of summer for the area.
“It’s definitely making people think twice about coming here,” she said.
In the central Pacific, Hurricane Madeline continued to strengthen Monday about 695 miles (1,115 kilometers) east of Hilo, Hawaii, while moving west-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph). Top sustained winds were 100 mph (155 kph) and forecasters urged the Hawaiian Islands to monitor the storm’s progress though no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Hurricane Lester also was strengthening Monday with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) while churning west at 15 mph (24 kph) some 1,290 miles (2,075 kilometers) west of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Forecasters say it posed no immediate threat to land.
