National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Ellis says Hurricane Arthur may throw some rain at central North Carolina on Thursday, but by the time fireworks are scheduled to go off, the tropical system and its remnants will be far gone.

“The storm may not get that close to the coast,” Ellis says. “Here in central North Carolina, we may see a rain band or two associated with it–especially east of Raleigh. Otherwise, from Raleigh to the west, probably a cold front pushing in is going to keep things confined to the east.”

***Ellis Spoke with WCHL’s Ron Stutts Thursday Morning***

Arthur became a hurricane by the 5:00 a.m. update. That means sustained winds are at least 75 mph.

Ellis says the storm’s path is still on track to have a big impact on the Outer Banks.

“Those already out there, it could be a wet Fourth of July,” Ellis says. “But back here in the Triangle, maybe not so bad.

He says the best news is that the speed of the storm is about to see a change.

“It’s about average right now, and it will pick up to faster than average by the time the next cold fron moves through,” Ellis says. “The jet stream associated with that front will help to speed up the storm and move it up the coast actually rather quickly so that by 2:00 a.m. Saturday it will be off the coast of Cape Cod and then up into the Canadian Maritimes by 2:00 a.m. Sunday.”

For the forecast and storm track, click here.