Tropical Storm Gabrielle strengthened slightly Sunday as the storm headed toward North Carolina's Outer Banks, but its rain and winds were not expected to inflict much punishment as it slogged across the state's famous chain of barrier islands, according to AP. Forecasters said Gabrielle carried top sustained winds of about 50 mph (80 kph) Sunday morning, and the storm could still get a touch stronger _ though not to hurricane level _ before moving across the Outer Banks around midday. After a brief landfall over the string of barrier islands and Pamlico Sound, Gabrielle was expected to take a sharp turn back into the Atlantic. «People are taking elementary precautions,» said Robert Raborn, the dockmaster at Anchorage Marina on Ocracoke Island. «Boats that can be hauled out are being hauled out. Some extra storm lines are being put on. It's not expected to be any worse than the average winter storm.» As of 8 a.m. (1200 GMT), Gabrielle's center was located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Lookout and was moving slowly _ about 10 mph (16 kph) _ to the north-northwest. «There's been some minimal strengthening this morning, but it's not much, and we don't expect it will gain much more strength,» said Chris Collins, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Morehead City.
