Tropical Storm Arthur

Eastern United States, June 17–20, 1996 

The first named tropical cyclone of the 1996 North Atlantic hurricane season, a weak and disorganized Tropical Storm Arthur brushed across North Carolina’s Outer Banks on June 20, 1996. A central pressure reading of 29.64 inches (1,004 mb) and 40-MPH (64-km/h) winds buffeted North Carolina’s picturesque Cape Lookout, while two-to-four-inch (51–102-mm) rains and five-to-seven-foot (2.1-m) surf conditions lashed the coastal Carolinas before early-season Arthur drew to the northeast and dissipated over the mid-Atlantic. No deaths or major damage were recorded in Tropical Storm Arthur’s wake.

The first North Atlantic tropical cyclone identified as Arthur appeared on August 28, 1984, to the east of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands. Of tropical storm intensity only, Arthur spent the next week tracking to the northwest along the Atlantic side of the Leeward Islands, but never made landfall. At its height, 1984’s Arthur was a fairly powerful tropical storm, with a central pressure of 29.64 inches (1,004 mb) and 52 MPH (84 km/h).

The 2002 North Atlantic hurricane season began with the development of Tropical Storm Arthur off the coast of North Carolina on July 14. A moderately powerful tropical storm, Arthur possessed a minimum central barometric pressure of 29.44 inches (997 mb) and sustained winds of 58 MPH (93 km/h). Moving to the northeast, away from the U.S. eastern seaboard, Tropical Storm Arthur quickly dissipated off the coast of Newfoundland.

The name Arthur has been retained, and is scheduled to next appear at the start of the 2008 North Atlantic hurricane season.