Tropical Storm Cristobal Menaces The Carolinas

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first tropical storm to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, sent outer bands of intermittent rain lashing the eastern Carolinas late Saturday as forecasters predicted it could dump several inches in some areas of drought-stricken North Carolina.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 45 miles southeast of Cape Fear, N.C., and about 170 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph and some higher gusts.

"Basically the track is running parallel to the coast," said lead center forecaster Martin Nelson, speaking with The Associated Press by telephone from Miami. "Slow strengthening is forecast for the next day or two."

At the By The Sea Motel in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., out-of-state visitors photographed outer storm bands as Cristobal churned off the coast, said hotel manager Charlie Peterson. Intermittent light rain fell in the afternoon but that wasn't enough to chase them away.

"They've got their cameras set and they think there is going to be lightning over the water," he said.

Bradley Rose, a surf instructor at SandBarz in Carolina Beach, N.C., said surfers took the plunge.

"It looks pretty fun out there," Rose said.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect from north of Little River Inlet in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

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Flood advisories were posted for coastal counties and Wilmington, N.C., received 2 1/2 inches of rain Saturday, said Stephen Keebler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service there.

Cristobal's winds were not expected to be a problem, Keebler said.

Forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast, with heavier amounts in some areas.

Eastern North Carolina is under a moderate drought while areas along South Carolina's northern coast are considered abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Officials have blamed the drought for a huge wildfire that has charred more than 40,000 acres in eastern North Carolina since it began June 1 with a lightning strike.

Elsewhere Saturday, Hurricane Fausto strengthened far off Mexico's Pacific coast, while Hurricane Bertha, the longest-lived July tropical storm in history, was downgraded to a tropical storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said late Saturday that Bertha had weakened and was expected to be absorbed by a larger weather system within the next few days.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the hurricane center reported that Bertha's center was about 545 miles east of Cape Race Newfoundland, moving northeast at near 24 mph with maximum sustained winds of nearly 70 mph.

Bertha battered Bermuda earlier this week, knocking out electricity to thousands at the Atlantic tourist destination. ____

Associated Press Writers Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., and Bill Cormier in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Comments

[ohiomark]

"Menaces North Carolina"?

45 mph winds and rain to a state that really needs rain is not a menace, it's a blessing.

This is how they got the nickname "drive by media".

[scpatl4now]

Hello Dolly...
We also now have TS Dolly in the NW Caribbean as per the 11am advisory with the center near the Cayman Islands

[ceasenake]

How is it a "menace" when it's just bringing some much needed rain?

[chicago25624]

Darn global warming! It has caused 30 or 40 hurrincanes that have made land here in the US since Katrina.
Trillions of dollars in damage

Over 1 million dead.

Oh wait, There hasn't been a hurricane hit the US the past 2 years.

I guess global warming is responsible for messing up mother natuer so much, she can't produce a decent hurricane.

[solarenergy]

I've always wondered whether "ignorance is bliss."

Thank you for the confirmation.

[GallopingCat]

The media's desperate to scare people with a weather disaster story. 45 mph winds? Weather.com says it might get "a little blustery" on the coast of NC.

Call Winnie the Pooh.

[Mort]

Sounds like stalking is getting our of hand. I hope ms. Kennedy and Ms. Rhea can get some police protection from this Cristobal fella. ;)

[Trueheart]

Well, it's 9:15pm here on the Appleton Ridge in Maine. Just had waterfall-like showers, breaking clouds with bright sun streaming through, little bit of rolling thunder, and now it's turned steamy and tropical. Almost welcome after weeks of drought.

Prior to this we have had strong sun, sticky humidity with occasional breezes, and no rain. We got lots of snow, but virtually no cool spring mists and rainshowers.

A man I know is building a house on a mountainside, and even at 6-7 feet below topsoil, the earth is powdery dry . He's lived here all his life, and says neither he nor his family has ever seen the earth turn to to dust like it is.

[danoj]

Oh no it's going to rain someone call Al Gore. Seriously though hope it doesn't pound you guys to hard on the east coast; just went through bunch of flooding here in Iowa. No fun.

[Trueheart]

Yes, we paid attention up here to what happened in Iowa---at least until it ceased to be considered sexy by the media, and coverage disappeared. It is so important for people to be well-informed on what is happening across the country, and we just don't get enough updated stories.

[kellygrrrl]

be safe TrueHeart!
Best wishes to you and your community

[Trueheart]

The same to you, wherever you are. We are either going to use our ingenuity and adapt, or we'll end up living in bubble-domed cities.

[ErnestineBass]

Same here in the tail end (Northern Alabama) of the Appalachian mountains, Trueheart. All of the posts (sunk 24" below grade) supporting the wrapraround decks on my modest home (built on a 26 degree slope back in 1996) have sunk by 2"- 4" after three straight years of drought. I now have a deck system that looks as though a myopic drunkard built it, dangitall. LOL

Ah, such are the trials and tribulations of home ownership, and life in general...EB

[Trueheart]

Ha! You've made me smile. My deck system WAS built by a myopic drunkard!!! I should have known we were in for trouble when he pulled in on the first day of work with a truckbed chock full of Miller Hi Life cans.

How much topsoil do you have before you hit bedrock or ledge? We had a microburst ("micro" nothing--it was a twister) last year which mowed down acres of extremely old oak and pine which toppled because their root systems couldn't get a purchase in the earth that sits on our granite ledge.

So many repercussions to global warming, eh?

[darker]

QUICK! Let's have the CORRUPT, PROFITEERING insurance companies HIKE UP HOME INSURANCE sky high in this latest "hurricane" EXCUSE. Insurance companies don't want risk. They want a PROFIT GUARANTEE.

Insurance companies TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN and then do not pay their clients' claims.
Sounds just like Republican BUSINESS AS USUAL: CORRUPT PROFITEERING.