Updated at 4:55 p.m. ET
Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named system of the season, developed off the Florida coast on Saturday and is continuing up the East Coast toward the North Carolina coast.
The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for parts of North Carolina on Sunday, including the Outer Banks. Heavy rains and storm force winds are predicted for the region Monday, with forecasters expecting 1 to 3 inches of rain Sunday night and Monday.
The system isn't predicted to make landfall there, forecasters say.
"On the forecast track, Arthur will remain well offshore the east coast of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina today, and then move near or just east of the coast of North Carolina on Monday," the Hurricane Center said in an advisory Sunday.
The warning was issued for an expanse of coastline extending from Surf City to Duck, N.C., and the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. The National Weather Service said eastern portions of the state could see localized minor flooding brought on by rainfall and storm surge.
"Minor inundation from storm surge is possible for low-lying areas adjacent to the ocean, sounds, and rivers, with overwash of dunes and flooding of properties and roadways possible for locations where dune structures are weak mainly north of Cape Lookout," the service said Sunday.
This marks the sixth straight year a named stormed formed ahead of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which officially begins June 1.
The system initially formed as a Tropical Depression but was later upgraded by forecasters. Arthur is also predicted to bring dangerous surf conditions and rip currents from Florida up through the Mid-Atlantic coast, the Hurricane Center said.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
