Weakened Gabrielle Returns to Atlantic

Yogi Harper watches from the deck of an ocean-front house at high-tide as tropical storm Gabrielle lurks offshore in Nags Head, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007. Tropical storm warnings are in effect along the coast of North Carolina. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) (Gerry Broome - AP)

NAGS HEAD, N.C. -- Gabrielle, struggling to stay organized as it pulled away from the North Carolina coast, weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression early Monday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm lost many of its rainmaking clouds over land, and its maximum sustained wind weakened to 35 mph as it moved farther out over the cooler water of the Atlantic. Forecasters expected it to be absorbed by a stronger non-tropical weather system and stay far out at sea.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Gabrielle's center was located about 330 miles south-southwest of Nantucket, Mass., moving east-northeast at about 13 mph. The storm was expected to pass well south of the northeastern U.S. coast, forecasters said.

The storm's small center made landfall along the Cape Lookout National Seashore on Sunday morning, then passed back into the Atlantic near Kill Devil Hills less than 12 hours later.

Other than some inconvenient wind, road flooding and a bit of welcome rain, Gabrielle left tourists and surfers largely unimpressed.

"If you think of what might have been as it approached us, I would say that we're in very good shape," said Dorothy Toolan, a spokeswoman for Dare County Emergency Management.

Although some isolated spots had significant rainfall _ more than 8 inches in Beaufort _ precipitation only reached a handful of eastern North Carolina counties.

The entire state is gripped by drought, particularly in western and central counties, and there was hope the first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season to reach North Carolina would provide relief.

"We're glad we didn't have any flooding or wind damage, but the rain would have been nice," said Julia Jarema, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

The National Weather Service said 1.5 feet of water from Pamlico Sound covered parts of Highway 12 near Salvo, a common spot for overwash. Toolan said the road was reopened early Monday after being closed for about 3 hours because of the water.

Ferry service to Ocracoke Island resumed Monday morning, after being suspended Sunday afternoon, said Department of Transportation spokesman Ernie Seneca.

Gabrielle developed into a subtropical storm Friday before spinning into a full tropical system Saturday. The system had spent several days stalled in the Atlantic along an old frontal boundary.

"This has given us a little practice run for hurricanes," said Currituck County spokeswoman Diane Sawyer. "You don't wish to have a storm, but if you have to have one it's a good one to have."