Gabrielle Brushes N. Carolina

Gabrielle made a relatively tame landfall—with top winds hitting the 50 mph mark—on North Carolina's coast  today at 11:45am, reports CNN. It's more a relief than a worry for the drought-stricken region, but storm surge flooding of up to 3 feet was possible. The storm was to turn northeast tonight, heading back out into the Atlantic.

The first showers hit late last night, and the area was expecting 1 to 5 inches of rain in all. But for some reckless surfers and swimmers who had to be rescued, the real danger was the strong rip currents, according to the AP.  Still, "nobody's too concerned," said one business owner. (More severe weather stories.)