BREAKING NEWS: NC 4th of July Festival Events cancelled for Saturday due to Tropical Storm Colin

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Tropical Storm Colin has forced officials with the NC 4th of July Festival to cancel events scheduled for Saturday.

The system quickly developed in the early morning hours off the coast of the Carolinas, prompting tropical storm warnings along the North and South Carolina coast from Charleston, SC to Duck, NC. There is a high risk of rip currents and winds gusts of up to 30 miles per hour.

Officials with the Southport festival say they made the decision to cancel Saturday’s events out of an abundance of caution.  They say the safety of festival goers and vendors is their number one priority. At this point, Sunday and Monday events are still scheduled to continue.

Tropical Storm Colin is expected to pass off the coast of the Cape Fear Saturday afternoon/early Saturday evening.  The heaviest rain and wind is expected to remain offshore.

This is a developing story.  Stay with WWAY for updates on Tropical Storm Colin and the NC 4th of July Festival in Southport. Be sure to download the StormTrack 3 Weather APP to keep track of changing conditions.