New York, Jul 10 (IANS): Newly-formed Tropical storm Fay, located about 113 km northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, is expected to bring "heavy rainfall and gusty winds" to the US East Coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The storm is moving northward east of the North Carolina coast and is expected to bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds to portions of the mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England, Xinhua news agency quotd the NHC as saying on Thursday.

Fay is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rain along and near the track of Fay across the mid-Atlantic states into southeast New York and southern New England, the centre warned, adding the rains may result in flash flooding where the heaviest amounts occur.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area on Friday and spread northward through the warning area Friday night.

The centre of Fay is forecast to move near the mid-Atlantic coast on Friday, and move inland over the northeast US on Saturday.

With maximum sustained winds near 75 km/h with higher gusts, some slight strengthening of Fay is forecast Thursday and Friday, while weakening should begin after the centre moves inland on Saturday, the NHC said, adding that tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next five days.