A discussion posted online by NHC forecasters called Cristobal `` convectively challenged '' and predicted the storm would `` become absorbed ahead of an approaching cold front '' by late Monday . Although the center of the storm was forecast to remain off the coast through the weekend , tropical storm warnings were in effect from the South Santee River in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line , including Pamlico Sound . Flood advisories were posted for coastal counties , and Wilmington , North Carolina , received 2 1/2 inches of rain Saturday , said Stephen Keebler , a meteorologist at the National Weather Service there . Cristobal 's winds were not expected to be a problem , Keebler said . `` It 's some rain and a little bit of relief for the coastal areas and a lot of excitement , but that 's about it , '' he said . The rain bands were weakening as they spun farther inland , providing little relief for parched areas near Interstate 95 in North Carolina , he said . Forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast , with heavier amounts in some
CHARLESTON , South Carolina -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tropical storm Cristobal was forecast to move `` parallel and very close '' to the North Carolina coast Sunday morning , but the storm is not expected to make landfall along the eastern U.S. shores . Satellite image taken at 1:15 p.m. Saturday shows Tropical Storm Cristobal off the coast of the Carolinas . At 11 p.m. ET Saturday , the center of the storm was about 45 miles southeast of Cape Fear , North Carolina , and about 170 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras , North Carolina . The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 6 mph , with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph and some higher gusts . `` The center of the tropical storm is expected to move parallel and very close to the coast of North Carolina for the next day or so , '' the NHC said . It is expected to dump between three and five inches of rain along the Carolina coast this weekend , it said . The storm had not strengthened beyond the 45 mph top winds measured earlier on Saturday , according to the NHC .