The surf kicks up along the beach Saturday in Nags Head, N.C. Gabrielle became a tropical storm Saturday as it swirled toward North Carolina's Outer Banks, where residents and beach vacationers prepared for rain and the possibility of minor flooding. The National Hurricane Center forecast called for Gabrielle to brush the Outer Banks this afternoon before curving back out into the Atlantic.

Nags Head, N.C. ? Tropical Storm Gabrielle swirled Saturday toward North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but its promised rain and high winds weren’t enough to scare residents and vacationers away from the beach.

“When people hear about tropical storms, they assume houses are going to fall in the ocean,” said Margot Jolly, a lifeguard with Nags Heads Ocean Rescue. “They shouldn’t overreact like that. Just relax, stay inside, and have a little hurricane party.”

Forecasters said the storm was likely to strengthen before brushing the Outer Banks this afternoon. Rain from the storm’s outer bands had started falling in the area late Saturday night, but there were no indications Gabrielle would become a hurricane before turning north and curving back out into the Atlantic.

“It’s not going to be one that will go down in the annals of the record books,” said Michael Caropolo, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Around 10 p.m. CDT Saturday, Gabrielle was centered about 115 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, N.C., moving northwest about 12 mph. The storm had top sustained winds of about 40 mph, down slightly from earlier in the day.

Forecasters issued a tropical storm warning for the North Carolina coastline north of Surf City through the Outer Banks and to the Virginia border. A tropical storm warning was issued northward to Cape Charles Light, Va., along the Atlantic Coast, and a watch remains in effect for the area extending to New Point Comfort peninsula, along the Chesapeake Bay.

The first showers from Gabrielle were expected to reach the coastline by Saturday night. Caropolo said the latest forecast called for the storm’s center to sneak past Cape Hatteras – the easternmost point on the Outer Banks – at about 7 p.m. today without actually making landfall on the East Coast.

Gabrielle is expected to have 45 mph sustained winds by this morning, peaking at about 50 mph in the afternoon, Caropolo said. The weather service warned that storm surge flooding of up to 3 feet was possible as the storm passed by, with 1 to 3 inches of rain falling in coastal areas and up to 5 inches in isolated spots.

“The greatest danger will be flooding in low lying areas and on roads, such as Highway 12 on the Outer Banks,” said North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley.