Tropical storm possible off North Carolina coast

CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. (News Nation/Nexstar) – A low-pressure system has a 90% chance of developing into a tropical storm off the coast of North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday.

The latest report indicated a center of circulation could be forming east of Cape Hatteras. If these developments continue, the system is likely to become a tropical depression or storm, forecasters said.

An Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft was investigating the storm system Thursday afternoon.

“Regardless of development, the system is expected to produce locally heavy rainfall that could cause some flash flooding across portions of eastern North Carolina, the coastal mid-Atlantic, and southern New England during the next few days,” National Hurricane Center officials said.

The system was also expected to bring gusty winds along the North Carolina Outer Banks. Forecasters said the impacts for central North Carolina will be nothing more than standard rain.

The National Weather Service expects the storm to reach southern New England by Saturday.

If the system becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Fay, the sixth named storm this hurricane season.

According to the NHC, this hurricane season has been considerably more active than average so far.

North Carolina saw significant rainfall in May from Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha. Tropical Storm Cristobal caused about $343 million in damage and killed four people after hitting the Gulf Coast.