Tropical Storm Cristobal grazes coast, mostly skips wildfires

The first tropical storm of the season to threaten the United States grazed the Outer Banks, bringing some showers and wind but saving most of its fury for the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

"There is little to nothing on land now," National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Rusnak said about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Most of the Outer Banks, he said, "just saw a showery day."

As of 8 p.m., Tropical Storm Cristobal was 25 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., moving northeast at 8 mph, heading out to sea.

A cold front coming from the northwest is expected to help push the storm out to sea today, Rusnak said, although the front will bring its own set of showers and thunderstorms.

The strongest winds at the coast were recorded at Cape Hatteras, which got up to between 30 and 35 mph, Rusnak said. Winds of up to 50 mph were recorded offshore, but "nothing near that by the coast," he said.

Rainfall was expected to be 1 to 2 inches, with up to 4 to 5 inches expected in some areas. Not much of that rain fell on either the fire burning in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge or the fire at the Great Dismal Swamp, Rusnak said.

And none of it fell in Duck, where Sunday was a "sunny, gorgeous, beautiful beach day," according to Mirek Dabrowski, manager of Surf Rescue Duck.

"It's been nicer than it was the past couple of days," he said.

Dabrowski said his rescue organization conducted hardly any rescues Sunday - "maybe one" - despite warnings that the storm could potentially stir up dangerous riptides. The group rescued more than 70 people in one day last week because of strong rip currents.

All in all, he said, Cristobal was "a little lackluster."

The Hurricane Center also said Tropical Storm Bertha had lost its tropical system characteristics and was expected to weaken during the next day or so. The center of Bertha was 850 miles east-northeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Dolly, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, unleashed showers on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as it sped toward the Cancun area on Sunday. It was expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico this morning.

A tropical storm warning was issued for the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

Pilot staff writer John Warren and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alicia Wittmeyer, (757) 222-5216, alicia.wittmeyer@pilotonline.com