Tropical storm makes landfall in North Carolina

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

MIAMI, Sep 9 (Reuters) Tropical Storm Gabrielle made landfall on the North Carolina coast today, bringing rains and winds but showing little potential of reaching hurricane status, US forecasters said.

Gabrielle's center crossed the Outer Banks island chain near Cape Lookout National Seashore at about 11:45 am (1545 GMT). The National Hurricane Center said the storm's strongest winds and heaviest rains were on its trailing edge and would be hitting over a period of hours.

At 11 am (1500 GMT) Gabrielle's top sustained winds were about 50 mph.

The hurricane center said the storm was expected later in the day to turn northeast, taking it back out into the Atlantic.

Gabrielle, the seventh named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, developed yesterday as the six-month hurricane season neared its historical peak on September. 10, having already produced two of the most ferocious hurricanes to ever tear through the Caribbean, Dean and Felix.

Both those storms became maximum-strength Category 5 hurricanes before slamming into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Central America, respectively.

But conditions off the US East Coast, where Gabrielle formed, are not as favorable for tropical cyclones as the deep warm water of the western Caribbean where Dean and Felix found the fuel they needed to grow into monster storms.

Gabrielle's maximum sustained winds were expected to top out at 63 mph, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

Tropical storms become hurricanes when their top winds reach 74 mph.

The storm was expected, however, to dump between 1 and 3 inches of rain across coastal North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, with some areas receiving up to 5 inches.

Tropical storm warnings were issued from Surf City in North Carolina to Cape Charles Light in Virginia and a tropical storm watch was in effect for the lower Chesapeake Bay, south of New Point Comfort, in Virginia.

A warning means tropical storm conditions are likely within 24 hours and a watch means tropical storm conditions can be expected within 36 hours.

The National Weather Service predicted seas would build to 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.7 metres) today, resulting in rough surf and minor beach erosion.

The agency urged residents in affected areas to stock up on provisions and prepare for a loss of power.

REUTERS PDT RN0018

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