Hurricane Arthur will miss New York City, but heavy rains expected for Fourth of ...

The city will be spared the brunt of Hurricane Arthur - but will likely be soaked by heavy rains that could wash out some Fourth of July festivities.

Mayor de Blasio said Thursday that New Yorkers should brace for pouring rain and flash floods, as well as strong rip currents that could make swimming dangerous.

'Thankfully, New York City will not experience storm surges and will not experience particularly high winds,' he said.

The mayor warned that motorists should use 'particular caution while driving in areas prone to flooding.'

Forecasters expected more of the isolated flooding that hit the city Wednesday night, when a wall under the Brooklyn Bridge collapsed in the midst of a severe thunderstorm.

Storms were expected to begin Thursday evening and go through Friday afternoon.

It won't be a carefree day at the beach for the holiday, de Blasio said.

'These rip currents - they're to be taken very seriously,' he said. 'They're very dangerous.'

He stressed that beachgoers should swim only in areas patrolled by lifeguards, and immediately obey if officials order them out of the water.

Some festivities - including the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island and the Travis Fourth of July Parade in Staten Island - are set to go on rain or shine.

The storm is expected to clear in time for the Macy's fireworks extravaganza Friday night.

'So far, thank God, some of the worst possibilities are passing us by, but we still want to take this very seriously,' de Blasio said.

Further South, Arthur was bearing down on North Carolina's Outer Banks and was expected to strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane with winds more than 96 miles per hour by the time it passed early Friday.

Tourists were clearing out of the string of barrier islands ahead of the storm.

'We don't know for sure if the exact center of Arthur is going to pass over land or not. The chances have been increasing for that to occur with the last couple of forecasts,' said Rick Knabb, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. 'The weather is going downhill in North Carolina even as we speak.'

Before the storm, officials had expected 250,000 people to head to the Outer Banks to the holiday weekend.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory warned residents to be cautious in the face of the first named storm of the season.

'Don't put your stupid hat on,' he said.

Foul weather forecasts forced holiday plans to be rescheduled or canceled in spots along the East Coast. Boston moved its famous fireworks display and Boston Pops concert to Thursday night.

With News Wire Services