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Hurricane Arthur: Next Target Is New England, Maine Coasts

The first named hurricane of the Atlantic season packed a punch with 100 mph winds, but is deteriorating as it moves north toward New England.
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A weakening Hurricane Arthur will take one last swipe at the East Coast as it churns past southeastern New England overnight Friday packing tropical storm-force gusts, forecasters say. Power outages and minor beach erosion are possible as a downgraded Arthur is expected to drop 2 to 3 inches of rain on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, while the Down East coast of Maine could see up to 6 inches, The Weather Channel reported. Parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada are also under tropical storm warnings and watches into Saturday morning.

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Arthur has deteriorated to a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds around 90 mph, after lashing North Carolina on Thursday night. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made landfall along the Outer Banks as a Category 2 before moving out Friday morning. It forced a mandatory evacuation along the southern end of the barrier islands, and has left behind a trail of power outages and flooded-out roads. As of 1:30 p.m. ET, more than 19,000 customers were without power in several coastal counties. But with Arthur safely out of sight, tourists returned to their Fourth of July festivities at North Carolina’s beaches: “The umbrellas are going up as we speak right now,” Gov. Pat McCrory said. There were no immediate reports of serious storm-related injuries, although officials along the Northeast coastline have warned beachgoers about heavy surf and rip currents.

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— Erik Ortiz