SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — With the July Fourth weekend on the horizon, the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm plodded off Florida’s coast Tuesday night, though Arthur wasn’t yet spooking too many in the storm’s potential path.
“I think everybody’s keeping one eye on the weather and one eye on the events this weekend,” said Joe Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, the city’s tourism bureau.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for a swath of Florida’s east coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami urged those as far north as parts of Virginia to monitor Tropical Storm Arthur’s path. The center said Arthur was becoming better organized and predicted it would become a hurricane by Thursday.
On Tuesday night, forecasters said the storm was about 90 miles (145 km) off the coast of Cape Canaveral, and its maximum sustained winds had increased to about 50 mph (85 kph). The storm was stationary, but was expected to drift toward the northwest at about 2 mph (4 kmh) later Tuesday night, with a turn toward the north on Wednesday.
Off Florida’s Space Coast beaches — the closest to Arthur — the sky was cloudy and winds fairly normal, said Eisen Witcher, assistant chief of Brevard County Ocean Rescue.
Red flags warned of rough surf, and beachgoers were advised to get into the water only in areas with staffed lifeguard stands. But overall, Witcher said, “it’s business as usual.”
Red flags also flew at Daytona Beach. By midday, a dozen swimmers had been aided by lifeguards when they got caught in a rip current. On any given day, 15 to 20 swimmers need help, said Tammy Marris, spokeswoman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol.
Near the storm, 19 ill crew members were evacuated from a South Korean cargo ship after they showed signs of food poisoning. The cargo ship JS Comet was anchored 3 miles off Cape Canaveral, and the Coast Guard reported that deteriorating weather conditions were one factor in the decision to evacuate.
Outside Florida, there were no official storm watches or warnings, but forecasters started to warn of upcoming rain, heavy surf and swells, and rip tides.
In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, officials said they would close Cape Lookout National Seashore at 5 p.m. Wednesday and reopen when it’s safe.
The motel Shutters on the Banks was completely booked for the holiday weekend, general manager John Zeller said, despite forecasts for potentially heavy rain, gusty winds and isolated tornadoes late Thursday and Friday.
“We have received some cancellations but not too many,” he said. “Basically we are telling people to kind of wait and see what happens.”
The motel has a 72-hour advance notice on cancellations, but Zeller said it will be waived if the storm tracks toward the area or warnings are issued.
In Folly Beach, South Carolina, dozens of people fished from the pier under sunny skies Tuesday. Others surfed on gentle swells, sunbathed and looked for shells.
In Savannah, rooms in the downtown historic district were expected to be at least 80 percent full for the holiday weekend, when crowds pack the beach on neighboring Tybee Island.
Cancellations aren’t uncommon when storms approach, but those calls weren’t coming in Tuesday, Marinelli said.
Amy Gaster said her Tybee Island vacation rental company had more than 200 beach homes and condos booked for the weekend, likely to be the busiest of the year. If forecasts start to show a serious threat, Gaster said her staff is prepared to send alerts to guests’ cellphones.
But as long as Arthur stays offshore, she said her biggest concerns are rip currents and possible thundershowers on Thursday, when thousands are expected to pack the Georgia coast’s largest public beach for fireworks.
“Hopefully Mother Nature is going to cooperate with us this year,” Gaster said.
An earlier version of this story is posted below:
SAVANNAH, Ga. — With the July Fourth weekend on the horizon, the Atlantic hurricane season's first named storm gradually gained strength off Florida's coast on Tuesday, though Arthur wasn't yet spooking too many in the storm's potential path.
"I think everybody's keeping one eye on the weather and one eye on the events this weekend," said Joe Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah, the city's tourism bureau.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for a swath of Florida's east coast, and the National Hurricane Center urged those as far north as parts of Virginia to monitor Arthur's path.
On Tuesday afternoon, the storm swirled about 90 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral, moving about 5 mph (7kph) with maximum sustained winds about 40 mph (65 kph).
Off Florida's Space Coast beaches — the closest to Arthur — the sky was cloudy and winds fairly normal, said Eisen Witcher, assistant chief of Brevard County Ocean Rescue.
Red flags warned of rough surf, and beachgoers were advised to get into the water only in areas with manned lifeguard stands. But overall, Witcher said, "it's business as usual."
Red flags also flew at Daytona Beach. By mid-day, a dozen swimmers had been aided by lifeguards when they got caught in a rip current. On any given day, 15 to 20 swimmers need help, said Tammy Marris, spokeswoman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol.
There were no official warnings for other states, but forecasters started to warn of rain, heavy surf and swells, and potential rip tides. The hurricane center urged those all the way north to parts of Virginia to monitor Arthur's progress.
In North Carolina's Outer Banks, officials said they would close Cape Lookout National Seashore at 5 p.m. Wednesday and reopen when it's safe.
The motel Shutters on the Banks is completely booked for the holiday weekend, general manager John Zeller said, despite National Weather Service forecasts for potentially heavy rain, gusty winds and isolated tornadoes late Thursday and Friday.
"We have received some cancellations but not too many," he said. "Basically we are telling people to kind of wait and see what happens. We're a little too far out at this point. I think everybody is kind of watching the weather."
The motel has a 72-hour advance notice on cancellations, but Zeller said it will be waived if the storm's track heads toward the area or warnings are issued.
In Folly Beach, South Carolina, dozens of people fished from the pier under sunny skies Tuesday. Others surfed on the gentle swells, sunbathed and looked for shells.
In Savannah, rooms in the downtown historic district were expected to be at least 80 percent full for the Fourth of July weekend, when crowds pack the beach on neighboring Tybee Island. Hotel managers and vacation rental owners were watching forecasts, hoping the storm will stay off Georgia's 100-mile coastline.
Cancellations aren't uncommon when storms approach, but those calls weren't coming in Tuesday afternoon, Marinelli said.
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Associated Press writers Bruce Smith in Charleston, South Carolina, and Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.
Below are earlier versions of this story:
MIAMI — A tropical depression that formed off the coast of Florida strengthened into Tropical Storm Arthur on Tuesday moring, becoming the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The storm's maximum sustained winds Tuesday morning are near 40 mph.
At 10 a.m. CDT, the storm was located about 95 southeast of Cape Canaveral, moving northwest at 2 mph. The National Hurricane Center forecasts the storm to continue to turn toward the north and then toward the northeast, moving toward the North and South Carolina coasts.
The Panhandle was expected to see little impact from the storm, although afternoon thunderstorm chances could be enhanced as the storm passes to the east of Jacksonville.
Check back later for more details or click here for the latest from the National Hurricane Center.
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MIAMI — A tropical depression that formed off the coast of Florida is expected to strengthen and soon become the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The depression's maximum sustained winds Tuesday morning are near 35 mph (55 kph).
A tropical storm watch is in effect for Florida's east coast from Fort Pierce to Flagler Beach. The depression is centered about 95 miles (155 kilometers) southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. It's been nearly stationary over the last few hours but a northwestward motion is expected to begin later in the day.
Meanwhile in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Elida is meandering off Mexico's southwestern coast. Elida's maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 kph) with some weakening forecast.
A tropical storm warning is effect for Mexico's coast from Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Corrientes.