Hurricane Arthur strengthens, makes landfall on US east coast

Hurricane Arthur near the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina. AP[/caption]The US National Hurricane Center said that little additional change in strength was expected on Friday and that the storm would begin weakening from Friday night.On early Friday morning, Arthur was located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north-northeast of Cape Lookout and about 40 miles west-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northeast at 18 mph (30 kph).Arthur forced thousands of vacationers in North Carolina to abandon their Independence Day plans, while cities farther up the US East Coast rescheduled fireworks displays threatened by the storm.The annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks show was rescheduled for Thursday because of potential heavy rain, while fireworks displays in New Jersey and Maine were postponed until later in the weekend.Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic season.Tropical storm warnings were also in effect for coastal areas in South Carolina and Virginia and as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts.Associated Press