Tropical Storm Watch Issued for Mass.

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. "This would be probably early morning hours Friday," McAdie said. 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. Meteorologists canceled a watch for North Carolina's northern coast as Beryl passed about 100 miles offshore. McAdie said Beryl could strengthen in the next 36 hours, but would weaken after moving over cooler waters. Initial warnings about the second tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season did little to deter golfers, boaters or fishermen in North Carolina. Click here for more information Tropical Beryl Tracker