Hurricane Arthur made landfall in North Carolina’s Outer Banks late Thursday night. It was the first named storm of the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the earliest to strike N.C. in the state’s history.
Coming ashore with 100-mph winds, Arthur was classified as a category-2 hurricane. These powerful winds coupled with storm surge flooding caused widespread power outages and property damage throughout the area. Luckily, no serious injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Traveling north, parallel to the coastline, Arthur soon moved over cooler waters and was downgraded to a tropical storm. Nonetheless, it still brought high winds, heavy rain, and rough surf to many Atlantic beaches over the July 4th holiday weekend.
Arthur was the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental U.S. since 2012.