Gabrielle packs little punch for N.C.

Tropical storm dumps 4 to 6 inches of rain in coastal areas, nothing inland

Tropical Storm Gabrielle was little more than a draw for surfers Sunday as it made a slow trek along the North Carolina coast Sunday before returning to the Atlantic Ocean.

Wind gusts howled at nearly 50 mph -- not all that impressive to hurricane-experienced North Carolinians.

"We haven't had any requests for assistance," Julia Jarema, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, told The Associated Press. "We'll be glad to help out if anybody needs it, but right now, we're not hearing anything. It's been kind of quiet."

Nor did it offer much relief from the drought that has parched most of the state.

The rain was mainly confined to coastal communities northward from Beaufort. Carteret and Craven counties were the most affected, meteorologists with the National Weather Service said. Those counties received four to six inches of rain Sunday afternoon. But places barely off the coast got little -- New Bern recorded only one inch of precipitation.

"We're glad we didn't have any flooding or wind damage, but the rain would have been nice," Jarema said. "The coast got some rain, but they were the ones with the least problems from the drought."

Rudi Rudolph, director of the Carteret County Shore Protection Office, said the county's beaches along Bogue Banks escaped major beach erosion. Officials had been particularly worried about homes near Bogue Inlet that were already threatened by erosion.

Even N.C. 12, the two-lane highway that links Hatteras Island to the mainland, had escaped major flooding and was open Sunday night.

By late Sunday, the storm had moved back offshore on a steady course for open water, and the National Weather Service discontinued all watches and warnings. By 11 p.m., the center of the storm was about 75 miles north of Cape Hatteras, headed northeast near 10 mph.

Officials closed campgrounds on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and put swift water rescue teams and National Guard units on standby. But no one was ordered to evacuate, and officials said the greatest danger was posed by rip currents threatening swimmers who ventured into the ocean.

The storm cast a gray pall over Dare County late Sunday and forced many people indoors, but it didn't shut down the beaches. Although amusement parks were empty, stores were busy, and traffic was steady.

A few people ventured onto the beach strand or stood on porches to watch the storm whip up the ocean.

Dorothy Toolan, a Dare County spokeswoman, said there was standing water on low-lying roads, including N.C. 12, but "everything is passable."

"I'm just shocked," Toolan said. "I was expecting more wind and rain up here."

A swell honeymoon

Jerry and Lisa Jones of New Bern didn't let the storm put a damper on their honeymoon at Nags Head. They fished on the beach for a few hours before giving up as gray clouds gathered overhead.

Jerry Jones said the storm didn't bother them, and they had no plans to leave early.

"It's a great honeymoon," Lisa Jones said.

Ashley Belvin rode his bicycle to the beach at Nags Head to pass out fliers for the family restaurant, which did a steady business during the day. Gusty headwinds made riding the bike a chore.

"It's easier going back," Belvin said.

There were no signs of boarded-up windows. Some homes and businesses even left yard furniture and displays outside. Winds whipped flags, no- swimming signs and banners, and knocked over dozens of garbage cans parked by the highway in Nags Head by departing beachgoers.

Other visitors, such as William Sparrow, were just starting their vacations Sunday. He was at the Outer Banks Welcome Center on Roanoke Island.

Sparrow, who is from Virginia, said he decided to come because the storm didn't appear to be serious. "We'll let it come to us," Sparrow said.

'A little practice run'

Still, the N.C. Ferry Division officials weren't taking any chances. Several ferry routes were suspended because of storm conditions.

"This has given us a little practice run for hurricanes," said Currituck County spokeswoman Diane Sawyer.

"You don't wish to have a storm, but if you have to have one, it's a good one to have. It looks like we're going to be lucky."

(Staff writer Titan Barksdale and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)