Tropical Storm Cristobal formed near Mayaguana Island early Sunday morning. An 8 a.m. advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center reported the center of the storm at 23N 73W moving northwest at nine mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
Although forecast models still vary, the storm is not expected to make landfall with the eastern United States and latest models indicate the storm tracking slightly further west. Models predict Cristobal will strengthen over the next few days, becoming a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday off the coast of South Carolina.
The storm will likely continue on its northerly path, passing near the coast of North Carolina on Friday. If Cristobal takes this track, the biggest impact to the Wrightsville Beach area would be rip currents and high surf. If the storm tracks further east, the town could see gusty winds and thunderstorms.
Keep checking the Lumina News website as we update this story with the latest advisories and information about the impact to the North Carolina coast.
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