…Gabrielle strengthens a bit before landfall…
…Top winds 50 mph…
Gabrielle is approaching the North Carolina coast near Cape Lookout and getting a little better organizaed as it goes. The center is about 30 miles SSE of there this morning.
Movement is NNW-10 mph. It will turn north then northeast today as it crosses the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Top winds are 50 mph. The central pressure has dropped to 1005 millibars. Some strengthening is still possible before landfall.
Storms surge will be about 1-3 feet along the eastern facing Outer Banks. The tide is now going out at Hatteras, so the effect shoudl be minimal. Rainfall will generally be 1-3 inches over eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia with some 5 inch reports possible. They are in a drought
