Storm threatens New England coast

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (AP) -- Tropical Storm Beryl gained strength Wednesday as it pulled away from the North Carolina coast and headed toward New England.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm watch for southeastern Massachusetts, from Plymouth south and west to Woods Hole, including Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
Colin McAdie, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said offshore areas of Massachusetts could get some wind as the storm passes by.
At about 8 p.m. EDT, maximum sustained winds were about 60 mph, above the 39 mph threshold for a named storm but below hurricane strength of 74 mph. The storm was centered about 290 miles south of New York City, or about 365 miles south-southwest of Nantucket. It was moving north-northeast at about 9 mph, and that direction was expected to continue for the next 24 hours.