Tropical Storm Arthur dropped heavy rain on parts of eastern North Carolina Monday as forecasters issued warnings about strong winds and surf throughout the day.
Arthur is the first named tropical storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which does not officially begin for two more weeks and runs through the end of November.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm could drop between two and seven centimeters of rain on North Carolina. Arthur drenched Florida before moving up the coast in recent days.
The NHC said the storm should move away from the U.S. East Coast later Monday and into Tuesday and is likely to lose its tropical characteristics by Wednesday as it goes further into open waters.
In Florida, rains fell at the rate of almost 5 centimeters per hour, causing widespread flooding in Miami and the surrounding area.
While hurricane season begins June 1, storms sometimes form earlier. Last year, subtropical storm Andrea formed south of Bermuda in late May but did not last long.
In 2018, tropical storm Alberto made a late May landfall along the Florida Panhandle, and made it all the way to lower Michigan in the north before dispersing.
