As of the National Hurricane Center’s 9 p.m. update, Hurricane Arthur has become a Category 2 storm with sustained winds around 100 mph. The storm is moving north northeast at 15 mph and is passing 55 miles from the Cape Fear coast.
The eye of the storm passed the Cape Fear region around 7 p.m.
On land Arthur dumped heavy rains on coastal areas with 4-6 inches of total rainfall accumulation expected. Maximum sustained winds of around 45 mph were experienced on the immediate coastal areas and around 20 mph further inland.
The New Hanover County Emergency Operations Center closed at 9 p.m. The hurricane watch has been discontinued for areas south of Surf City to Little River. A tropical storm warning is still in effect for the area.
Sustained winds are not expected to decrease below 40 mph until after midnight Thursday.
Conditions are expected to clear by Friday morning with warm, sunny weather throughout the holiday weekend.
