Cristobal strikes eastern Carolinas

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first tropical storm to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, sent outer bands of intermittent rain lashing the eastern Carolinas late Saturday as forecasters predicted it could dump several inches in some areas of drought-stricken North Carolina.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 45 miles southeast of Cape Fear, N.C., and about 170 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph and some higher gusts.

“Basically the track is running parallel to the coast,” said lead center forecaster Martin Nelson, speaking with the Associated Press by telephone from Miami. “Slow strengthening is forecast for the next day or two.”

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect from north of Little River Inlet in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

Flood advisories were posted for coastal counties and Wilmington, N.C., received 2 1/2 inches of rain Saturday, said Stephen Keebler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service there.

Forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast, with heavier amounts in some areas.

Elsewhere Saturday, Hurricane Fausto strengthened far off Mexico’s Pacific coast, while Hurricane Bertha, the longest-lived July tropical storm in history, was downgraded to a tropical storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said late Saturday that Bertha had weakened and was expected to be absorbed by a larger weather system within the next few days.