Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first system to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, strengthened slightly off the North Carolina coast Sunday, and was expected to dump several inches of rain in some areas of the drought-stricken state, AP reported. At 8 a.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south-southwest of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and about 105 miles (169 kilometers) southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph (9.66 kph). Maximum sustained winds increased about 5 mph (8.05 kph) Sunday to 50 mph (80.46 kph), with some higher gusts. The storm was expected to skirt the Outer Banks on Sunday, fueling tides 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 meters) above normal. The National Weather Service said a few areas could see flooding from heavy rain.
