Story highlights As of 11 p.m., Arthur is 75 miles off Cape Cod, moving northeast at 31 mph 
 
 It should be much weaker when it makes landfall over Nova Scotia early Saturday 
 
 The storm system produced significant rain but not as much wind as once feared 
 
 Governor says Arthur ended up having "minimal impact" on North Carolina 
 
 Hurricane Arthur -- or what's left of it -- has rained on many an Independence Day parade, if they weren't canceled ahead of time. 
 
 But what the first named storm of this hurricane season hasn't done, it appears, is cause significant damage. 
 
 As of 11 p.m. ET, Arthur was churning deep into the Atlantic Ocean about 75 miles east-southeast of the Cape Cod town of Chatham, according to the National Hurricane Center 
 
 It is still technically a hurricane, with sustained winds of 75 mph, and Nantucket and Cape Cod face tropical storm warnings. But Arthur wasn't expected to live up to dire predictions for the East Coast. 
 
 The center of Arthur is forecast to pass over or near western Nova Scotia early Saturday. By then, the system should be no more than a "post-tropical cyclone," meaning it will feature rain and little else. 
 
 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – An aerial photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows flooding caused by Hurricane Arthur on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Friday, July 4. Arthur struck North Carolina as a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 mph late Thursday, taking about five hours to move across the far eastern part of the state. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Water from Hurricane Arthur buckled a section of North Carolina Highway 12 on Hatteras Island, seen July 4 in a photo provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. It is the same spot on Hatteras Island that was breached in Hurricane Irene in 2011. Proving far less damaging than feared, Hurricane Arthur left tens of thousands of people without power Friday in a swipe at North Carolina's exposed Outer Banks. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Bryan Wilson, owner of Miller's Waterfront restaurant, braves floodwaters to check the damage to his property as wind from Hurricane Arthur pushes water to his parking lot in Nags Head, North Carolina, on July 4. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Power company trucks travel along Highway 64 after flooding caused by Hurricane Arthur on July 4 in Nags Head, North Carolina. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – People walk along a flooded street in Manteo, North Carolina, on July 4. Hurricane Arthur made landfall between Cape Lookout and Beaufort, North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was a Category 2 when it came ashore, but it soon weakened to a Category 1 as it made its way north. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Johanna Bender, left, helps Katie Bender dump water from her boot in Manteo on July 4. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – A worker repairs power lines July 4 along Highway 58 in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Vehicles drive through a flooded highway in Nags Head, North Carolina on July 4. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – A car sits in rising waters in Nags Head on July 4. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Traffic moves down a partially flooded road in Garden City Beach, South Carolina, on Thursday, July 3. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Bodi Duncan surfs the waves at Garden City Beach as Arthur passes off the South Carolina coast on July 3. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Waves kicked up by the storm are seen July 3 at the pier in Cherry Grove Beach, South Carolina. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Photos: Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast Hurricane Arthur hits East Coast – Astronaut Reid Wiseman, aboard the International Space Station, posted this photo of the storm to Twitter on July 3. Hide Caption 13 of 13 
 
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 While the wind won't pack as much wallop for the Northeast, that doesn't mean Arthur didn't have an impact -- especially on those who wanted to both go outside and stay dry over the holiday. 
 
 Americans from New York to far northeast Maine are experiencing, or could soon experience, drenching rains tied to the outskirts of the Category 1 storm. This is after a number of moves, such as the hasty rescheduling of Boston's Independence Day celebration to one day early, done ahead of the system. 
 
 The good news is that Arthur wasn't the type of holiday guest that hung around long. 
 
 The Miami-based hurricane center noted that the storm was speeding along to the northeast -- meaning it is heading farther out to sea -- at a 31 mph clip. That is motoring along by hurricane standards, especially for one that was stalled in the Atlantic just a few days ago. 
 
 Arthur nonetheless managed to dampen some spirits as it raced along. On Friday afternoon, for instance, southeast Massachusetts got lashed by round after round of pounding rains that left some roads covered with water. 
 
 "Arthur does not like us right now," a soaked but smiling Adam Morales of Fairhaven told CNN affiliate WCVB . "I don't know (how) we disappointed him, but it's OK. I don't mind it." 
 
 Number of North Carolinians without power plummets 
 
 The state that was supposed to bear the brunt of Arthur's wrath was North Carolina. 
 
 It did indeed get hit, though it was more a glancing blow than a knockout punch. 
 
 But not everyone knew that would be the case at 11:15 p.m. Thursday, when Arthur roared ashore between Cape Lookout and Beaufort with 100-mph winds. 
 
 Robin Nelson's house in Newport -- right across the Newport River Sound from Beaufort, and in the path of the eye wall -- clattered and rumbled. In the distance, she heard the whirring hum of storm gusts and snapping of tree limbs. 
 
 "It's howling pretty good here," she said late Thursday. "You can hear it coming across the sound." 
 
 Around 9:30 a.m. Friday, Gov. Pat McCrory said 44,000 people in his state were without power due to the storm. A CNN tabulation around this time found about 18,500 customers, which could translate to households or businesses, without electricity. 
 
 Utility companies were able to make significant inroads in getting people's lights back on as the day wore on. By 2:30 p.m., there were around 5,000 customers without power in the state. 
 
 Later in the afternoon, McCrory followed up by noting that Arthur had "minimal impact" on coastal communities -- with one plus being that it moved out in time for the holiday and the upcoming weekend. The Outer Banks forecast called for sunny skies and high temperatures in the 80s. 
 
 Brad Doerr knows it could have been a lot worse, even with one window lost and water up to the door of the Dairy Queen restaurant in Avon that he runs. 
 
 "Emily blew a lot harder than this one," Doerr told CNN affiliate WAVY , referring to 1993's far more powerful Hurricane Emily. "This one we were really fortunate." 
 
 Concerns about rip currents 
 
 Though it has moved on, the hurricane leaves deadly danger lurking under its coattails: possible rip currents. The weather service calls the spurts of back-flowing water, which can drag a swimmer from the shore and out to sea, the worst danger at the beach. 
 
 In 2009, tropical storms killed six people. All of them drowned in high waves or rip currents, the National Weather Service said. And it doesn't matter if the storm has already passed, it can sprout them from long distances. 
 
 They're hard to see and snatch bathers without warning. 
 
 Sherman Lee Criner is an iron man triathlete and confident he could swim out of a rip current if he had to. 
 
 "Even so, I'm not going to get out in the water," he said. It would be a dumb thing to do, especially in front of the children traveling with him. "Of course, I'm not going to let the kids out there," he said. 
 
 Criner was vacationing in Arthur's bull's eye on Emerald Isle with his son, daughter and niece. 
 
 He didn't plan for the group to be in the storm's path. He asked his two children and niece where they wanted to spend the holidays; they voted for the beach, and he granted the wish. 
 
 He thought of canceling the trip as the storm brewed but decided against it. "It's a doable storm," Criner said. ||||| This story was reported by Travis Andersen and Martin Finucane of the Globe staff and Globe correspondents Zachary T. Sampson, Claire McNeill, Faiz Siddiqui, Jennifer Smith, Oliver Ortega, and Rachel Riley. It was written by Andersen. 
 
 Thousands of revelers packed the Charles River Esplanade Thursday night for the 41st annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, dancing to live music and cheering for a nighttime display in the skies that came off just before heavy rains and lightning forced an evacuation of the festivities. 
 
 Spectators came from around the country, many wearing patriotic shirts, hats, facepaint, and other eye-catching accessories. They were treated to a spectacular 20-minute fireworks display that began shortly after 10 p.m. and lit up the night sky. 
 
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 But the festivities ended early, and abruptly. 
 
 At about 10:30 p.m., a public address announcer informed the crowd that State Police had ordered an evacuation of the area. Heavy rain began falling soon after, interspersed with lightning flashes, forcing spectators to flee, some walking and some running. 
 
 David Procopio, a State Police spokesman, wrote in an e-mail that organizers “shot fireworks off early at 10:01 and cut them on short notice because of the severe weather.” 
 
 “We then ordered the evacuation and cleared the Oval and Lagoon areas out,” he said. “Evacuation was relatively orderly.” 
 
 The downpour forced the Pops to skip its live performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” a cherished segment of the annual July 4 celebration, disappointing some revelers. 
 
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 “They took away the best part of the whole concert,” said Pam Capeless, 62, of Randolph. 
 
 City officials said the Boston Common Garage was available for people who needed to wait out the worst of the storm. 
 
 Saresh Alambath, 36, of Wilmington left the fireworks and huddled with family members on a porch on Revere Street to escape the soaking rains. 
 
 “Suddenly, it started pouring,” Alambath said. 
 
 Scott Ebner, 40, of the South End got caught in the rain at the edge of the Esplanade. 
 
 “Little cold, but the world won’t end,” he said. 
 
 Procopio, the State Police spokesman, said organizers moved up the fireworks “once we knew that a strong storm cell was moving toward eastern Mass.” 
 
 He added, “Once it was clear that a strong storm cell was going to impact Boston, we ordered the concert be shortened (no “1812 Overture,” among other cuts) and began evacuating the Esplanade.” 
 
 He said late Thursday night that authorities were not aware of any storm-related injuries. 
 
 The threat of severe weather had prompted officials to move the traditional July Fourth festivities up one day, marking the first time since 1992 that the extravaganza was rescheduled. Spectators began filling the Hatch Shell area at about 4:30 p.m., and the rain held off until just after the evacuation order was given. 
 
 Jubilant concertgoers danced throughout the evening to live performances from the Pops, the Beach Boys, and others. The fireworks display followed and got rave reviews. 
 
 “Very beautiful,” said Louis Yu, a Boston University medical student. 
 
 Revelers also enjoyed the music. 
 
 Steve Przecioski, 63, of Phoenix, danced with his wife and daughter as the Beach Boys played “Fun Fun Fun,” one of their many hits. 
 
 “They still have it,” said Przecioski. “They really do.” 
 
 When the festivities began in the late afternoon, organizers made sure that the crowd was festooned in patriotic garb. 
 
 Phil Touchette of B4 Productions, the company putting on the event, passed out miniature American flags and said staff members were distributing some 25,000 flags and foam Statue of Liberty crowns. 
 
 “We’re just trying to make it a patriotic event here,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.” 
 
 Claire Richards, 86, of Randolph, sat in a wheelchair earlier in the evening on the outskirts of the concert area and wore patriotic beads around her neck. She said she was attending the celebration for the first time in many years. 
 
 “We might as well enjoy it, because you never know what tomorrow brings,” Richards said. “There’s nothing like being here in person. It’s a happy occasion, a beautiful day.” 
 
 Concertgoers spread tarps and blankets, set down beach chairs, and kicked off their shoes as they carved out territory for the event. 
 
 “We came out specifically for this,” said Bruce Masatsugu, 61, of San Francisco, who waited for hours Thursday with his family to get a spot near the stage. “And we figured we might as well go do it — do it right.” 
 
 Boston Emergency Medical Services said 80 people had visited its medical station on the Esplanade, requesting Tylenol, bandages, and ice packs. Ten people were taken to area hospitals, said spokeswoman McKenzie Ridings. 
 
 The buildup to the show began just after 7 p.m., with a series of blasts from a trio of small cannons positioned on the banks of the Charles River, drawing applause from the spectators. Governor Deval Patrick shot off one of the blasts and pumped his arms in the air. 
 
 Meanwhile, security at the Esplanade was tight, with several hundred state troopers, park rangers, and National Guard personnel patrolling the area. Troopers were both uniformed and in plainclothes, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. 
 
 Security measures included bag checks, limits on the sizes of coolers and tents, and a ban on glass containers and alcoholic beverages, he said. 
 
 In addition, Procopio said, State and Environmental Police were conducting marine patrols on the Charles, and a State Police Air Wing helicopter provided support from the air. 
 
 Bomb squads and hazardous materials teams were on standby. 
 
 By late Thursday night, State Police had not reported any arrests. 
 
 State Police did not have an estimate on the crowd late Thursday night, which was in the tens of thousands. 
 
 Traffic on the Southeast Expressway was standard for the evening rush hour, said Procopio, with the most significant backups on Interstate 93 southbound due to vehicles being rerouted around Storrow Drive, which was closed. 
 
 But on the Esplanade, the focus before the rain remained on the entertainment offerings and the camaraderie among strangers who gathered to mark the nation’s independence in an event that some people said is unrivaled by similar celebrations in other cities. 
 
 “I drive past D.C., I drive past Philadelphia, I drive past New York,” said T.C. Jones, 60, a Richmond, Va., resident who travels to Boston every year to celebrate the holiday. “This is the Fourth of July.” 
 
 Jones wore a red, white, and blue tie-dyed Red Sox shirt and recalled being stationed as an Army paratrooper at Fort Bragg in North Carolina when he first saw the legendary Arthur Fiedler conducting the Pops on television. He decided then that he would eventually make it to Boston. 
 
 And even after the rain soaked the crowd, some who attended still had a favorable assessment of the evening, including Adamarie Brini, 49, of Wakefield, who deemed the event “one to tell the grandkids about.” 
 
 “It ended on a bang, that’s for sure, people huddling in doorways,” Brini said. 
 
 “We got wet. No harm, no foul. We got to see the fireworks.” ||||| KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (AP) — A strengthening Hurricane Arthur forced thousands of vacationers on the North Carolina coast to abandon their Independence Day plans while cities farther up the East Coast rescheduled fireworks displays threatened by rain from the storm. 
 
 People dance to the Beach Boys during a concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston, Thursday, July 3, 2014. The annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks show was moved up a day... (Associated Press) 
 
 A lifeguard monitors the beach in Nags Head, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by Hatteras Island on Friday morning. The island is under mandatory evacuation orders. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 A lifeguard patrols the beach in Nags Head, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by Hatteras on Friday morning. The island is under mandatory evacuation orders. (AP Photo/Gerry... (Associated Press) 
 
 Tourists enjoy a calm ocean in Nags Head, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by Hatteras Island on Friday morning. The island is under mandatory evacuation orders. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 A sign warns travelers as recreational vehicles arrive in Nags Head, N.C., after departing Hatteras Island Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by Hatteras Friday morning. The... (Associated Press) 
 
 A sign at the Outer Banks Motor Lodge displays a message in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by Hatteras Island on Friday morning. The island is under... (Associated Press) 
 
 Carol Palmer of King George, Va. loads a car with her family's belongings as they prepare to leave Hatteras Village, N.C., on Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by North Carolina's... (Associated Press) 
 
 A car loaded down with bikes, kayaks and surfboards heads north on NC 12 through Buxton on Hatteras Island, N.C., at dawn on Thursday, July 3, 2014. The island is under a mandatory evacuation order because... (Associated Press) 
 
 Clouds and rains move in as beachgoers leave Freeman Park at the north end of Carolina Beach, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Residents along the coast of North Carolina are bracing for the arrival of the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Kite boarder Pete Nero secures his kite as darks clouds and rain move in on the north end of Carolina Beach, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Residents along the coast of North Carolina are bracing for the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Clouds and rain move in as a man jogs along the shore of the north end of Carolina Beach, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Residents along the coast of North Carolina are bracing for the arrival of the Hurricane... (Associated Press) 
 
 Nicole Specht, and and Ryan Witman, pack their Honda CRV heading back home to Lancaster Pa., before dawn on Thursday, July 3, 2014, during a mandatory evacuation, in Rodanthe, N.C. Arthur strengthened... (Associated Press) 
 
 The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse shines on Hatteras Island, N.C., before dawn on Thursday, July 3, 2014. The island is under a mandatory evacuation order because of approaching Hurricane Arthur. (AP Photo/The... (Associated Press) 
 
 Eddie Skakle and his wife Gail secure kayaks at their kayak rental business, A. S. Austin Co., in Hatteras Village, N.C., on Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by North Carolina's... (Associated Press) 
 
 Beach patrol personnel monitor conditions in Nags Head, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by the Outer Banks on Friday morning. Hatteras Island is under mandatory evacuation... (Associated Press) 
 
 Vehicles travel across the Thomas Rhodes Bridge as rain falls early Thursday morning, July 3, 2014 in Wilmington, N.C. Residents along the coast of North Carolina are bracing for the arrival of the Hurricane... (Associated Press) 
 
 This is the Weather Underground U.S. national forecast for Friday, July 4, 2014, Hurricane Arthur will be off the coast of North Carolina, producing showers and thunderstorms from the Mid-Atlantic to... (Associated Press) 
 
 Eddie Skakle and his wife Gail secure kayaks at their kayak rental business, A. S. Austin Co., in Hatteras Village, N.C., on Thursday, July 3, 2014. Hurricane Arthur is forecast to pass by North Carolina's... (Associated Press) 
 
 Kite boarder Pete Nero secures his kite as darks clouds and rain move in on the north end of Carolina Beach, N.C., Thursday, July 3, 2014. Residents along the coast of North Carolina are bracing for the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Arthur strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane Thursday night, its winds strengthening to 100 mph before it made landfall near the southern end of the Outer Banks. Little change was expected in the storm's strength Thursday night and Friday, though Arthur was expected to weaken as it travels northward and slings rain along the East Coast. 
 
 The annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks show were held Thursday night because of potential heavy rain from Arthur, while fireworks displays in New Jersey, Maine and New Hampshire were postponed until later in the weekend. 
 
 Arthur reached land late Thursday between Cape Lookout and Beaufort, North Carolina, near the southern end of the Outer Banks, a 200-mile string of narrow barrier islands with about 57,000 permanent residents. 
 
 The islands are susceptible to high winds, rough seas and road-clogging sands, prompting an exodus that began Wednesday night. 
 
 Among the tourists leaving Hatteras Island were 27-year-old Nichole Specht and 28-year-old Ryan Witman of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The couple started driving at 3:30 a.m. Thursday on North Carolina Highway 12, the only road on and off Hatteras. 
 
 "We were just saying we were really, really lucky this year that the weather was so great, and then this," Specht said as she ended a two-week vacation. 
 
 Many island residents, meanwhile, decided to ride out the powerful storm rather than risk losing access to homes connected to the mainland by a highway prone to washouts. 
 
 "All the people that I know who live here are staying put," said Mike Rabe, who planned to stay in his Rodanthe home despite an evacuation order for surrounding Hatteras Island. 
 
 In the last hours before the hurricane's approach late Thursday, Lena Lines helped to move furniture from the basement to the first floor of the home she shares with her parents to save it from possible flooding. They live in a complex of canals and sound-front homes in the shadow of a memorial to the Wright Brothers, who made the first powered flight in Kill Devil Hills. 
 
 If you live in that neighborhood, "it's undeniable, you're going to get flooded" during a storm like this, Lines said. 
 
 Dave Gillis, who does maintenance work at Harris-Teeter grocery stores, was attaching sections of galvanized sheet metal over the glass wall at the entrance of a Kill Devil Hills location just as rain started to fall sporadically at 10:30 pm. 
 
 "We're just getting to it," he said. "We've had a pretty busy day." 
 
 The departures of vacationers left things "pretty dead" on Hatteras Island during the normally bustling run-up to the Independence Day weekend, Rabe said. He spent Thursday running errands and helping neighbors prepare their homes for the storm. 
 
 Before the storm hit, tourism officials had expected 250,000 people to travel to the Outer Banks for the holiday weekend. Gov. Pat McCrory sought to strike a balance between a stern warning to vacationers and optimism that part of the busy weekend could be salvaged. 
 
 "Of course, this holiday weekend, the July 4th weekend, is one of the biggest weekends for coastal tourism in the state, and we anticipate a beautiful weekend after ... Hurricane Arthur is out of North Carolina," he said. 
 
 Arthur, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, prompted a hurricane warning for much of the North Carolina coast. On the Outer Banks' Ocracoke Island, accessible only by ferry, a voluntary evacuation took place. 
 
 Among those leaving the island was the Unmussig family of Midlothian, Virginia. They cut their vacation two days short when they left Thursday morning in an SUV towing a trailer filled with bicycles and kayaks. 
 
 "Our cottage was right on the sound and we didn't want that back-current surge coming in and flooding us out," said Donald Unmussig, 50. 
 
 "I just didn't want to risk getting caught there. I have to work Monday morning. I didn't want to be late," he added. "We just decided to cut the losses and go home and not have to deal with the problems." 
 
 Tropical storm warnings were also in effect for coastal areas of Virginia and as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 
 
 On the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, no evacuations were planned, but residents who have lived through many a fierce storm said they know better than to totally relax. 
 
 "I think that for the most part it's another storm, but you never know what can happen," said Rocky Fox, who owns the Chicken Box nightclub on the island. "Being the Fourth of July weekend, things seems to be magnified." 
 
 Fox said Nantucket residents are used to being prepared. 
 
 "Mother Nature was upset with us this winter, and she may not be through. We're on an island. You can never tell what it's going to do. You prepare for the worst and hope for the best." 
 
 Early Friday morning, Arthur was located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north-northeast of Cape Lookout and about 40 miles west-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northeast at 18 mph (30 kph). 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, N.C.; Tony Winton in Miami; and Matt Small in Washington contributed to this report. 
 
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 Emery Dalesio can be reached at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio .
– Maybe they should have called it Hurricane Benedict Arnold: Independence Day plans in North Carolina and elsewhere on the East Coast are in disarray thanks to Hurricane Arthur—though as CNN reports, the state "seems to have dodged a bullet." Arthur strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane yesterday, making landfall at 11:15pm EST with 100mph winds—if it had been a little later, it would have been the first hurricane ever to make landfall on July 4. But it didn't stay long. North Carolina officials reported few issues this morning, as the National Weather Service declared Arthur had moved off land and over the Atlantic by sun-up, tracking a path over the water that runs parallel to New England's coast. At its most severe point, some 21,000 North Carolina customers were without power. Fireworks shows in New Jersey, Maine, and New Hampshire have been delayed until later in the weekend because of the storm, while Boston held its annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks show a day early, the AP reports. Heavy rains and lightning, however, forced organizers to end the fireworks early, and skip the performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," one of the most cherished parts of the annual show. "They took away the best part of the whole concert," one attendee complains to the Boston Globe.