AKIPRESS.COM - A hurricane is predicted to hit a wide-stretch of the North Carolina coast as Independence Day is celebrated in America, according to media reports.
Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to grow into a hurricane by the Fourth of July, threatening tourists and their holiday plans.
It is expected to harshly hit the Outer Banks, a popular tourist spot of thin barrier islands along the shore.
A voluntary evacuation was announced for Ocracoke Island, accessible only by ferry.
Officials, hotel owners and would-be vacationers as far north as New England were also watching forecasts.
The storm was enough of a concern that officials in Boston decided to move the annual Boston Pops July 4 concert and fireworks show up by a day because of potential heavy rain on Friday night, and rip tides were a threat as far north as New Jersey.
The Outer Banks will be especially vulnerable, forecasters said.
As word of the mandatory evacuation on Hatteras Island spread, a steady stream of cars, trailers and recreational vehicles began rolling north on North Carolina Highway 12, a two-lane road that is the only way to the mainland other than ferries to the south.