While almost all of the coverage of Hurricane Arthur in both the American and global media focused on the storm's impact on North Carolina, the storm is still churning in the Atlantic and it has its sights set on Atlantic Canada.

Hurricane Arthur just made landfall in Cape Lookout, North Carolina as a category two with winds of 100 MPH. Cape Lookout measured a sustained wind of 77 MPH a little while ago. The storm will rake the Outer Banks as it heads northeast through early tomorrow. This is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Ike in 2008.

Hurricane Arthur is creeping closer to the North Carolina coast at this hour, with winds of more than 90 MPH hanging just a few dozen miles offshore. The system is expected to strengthen to category 2 status with 105 MPH winds over the next day as it pounds the Outer Banks.

Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings are in effect as Tropical Storm Arthur continues to gather organization and strength as it swirls towards the Carolina coast. Meteorologists expect it Arthur hit coastal North Carolina as a hurricane with winds around 80 MPH on Thursday night.

The first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed off the Florida coast last night, and the system is going to skim the east coast of the United States before heading out to sea next weekend. Even though the worst weather will affect mostly the Outer Banks, it could still have a dangerous impact on the beaches this holiday weekend.

Here's the 2PM advisory on Tropical Storm Arthur. The National Hurricane Center expects the system to turn into category 1 hurricane with 80 MPH winds when it hits North Carolina's Outer Banks on Friday. High winds, high surf, 3-5 inches of rain, and a minor storm surge are the main hazards.

It's a simple message, and it comes from the heart: if you live in the southeastern United States, prepare a potential hit by Tropical Storm or even Hurricane Arthur later this week. Given the amount of tourists on Carolina beaches for the holiday weekend, it's probably the worst time of the year for a storm to threaten.

Last week, NOAA announced the issuance of an El Niño watch as they predict about a 50/50 chance of the development of an El Niño later this summer or fall. Increasing sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific Ocean and above-average water temperatures below the surface of the central Pacific are the reasons why experts think that an El Niño could develop within the next six months. Depending on the strength of the possible El Niño, it could have a very real impact on the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.