US coast survives Hurricane Arthur

Proving far less damaging than feared, Hurricane Arthur left tens of thousands of people without power on Friday in a swipe at North Carolina’s dangerously exposed Outer Banks, then brought lousy Independence Day beach weather to the Northeast as it veered out to sea. Forecasters predicted the storm would weaken before its center moves over western Nova Scotia in Canada early Saturday. Arthur struck North Carolina as a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 mph (160 kph) late Thursday, taking about five hours to move across the far eastern part of North Carolina. About 40,000 people lost power, and the rush of water from the ocean on one side and the sound on the other side buckled part of a North Carolina highway in a spot on Hatteras Island that was breached in Hurricane Irene in 2011. No injuries or deaths were reported. By Friday night, the hurricane had weakened to a Category 1 storm with 80 mph winds. Its center was about 95 miles (150 km) south-southeast of Chatham, Massachusetts, according to AP.