RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm but it is still considered an extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm.

As of 11 p.m., the storm was centered 280 miles (455 kilometers) east southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and was moving northwest at 17 mph (28 kph).

Its maximum sustained winds have dropped slightly to 110 mph (175 kph).

But the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday evening that the storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge and rainfall to the Carolinas as it approaches the coast Thursday and Friday. </s> Hurricane Florence is a dangerous Category 4 hurricane.

 

 A hurricane watch and storm surge watch have been issued for the entire coast of North Carolina, including Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, and the South Carolina coast as far south as Edisto Beach.

This includes Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington and the Outer Banks.



 

 Florence is undergoing what’s called an eyewall replacement cycle meaning the storm is trying to restructure itself in order to strengthen further. It’s possible we could have a Cat 5 storm today or tomorrow.

There is still some forecast uncertainty on where the eye of Florence will make landfall late Thursday or Friday. This will determine what part of the coastline experiences the worst wind and storm-surge impacts.



 

 Tropical storm force winds may arrive in the watch area by Thursday morning. Hurricane conditions may arrive by late Thursday or Thursday night.

We could see power outages, tree damage, structural damage as well as tornadoes when the storm comes ashore.



 

 Florence will produce very heavy rain along the coast and further inland. If the storm stalls (which some guidance is suggesting) we could be dealing with historic, catastrophic life threatening floods.

If you live in the Carolinas, Virginia and surrounding areas, please pay close attention to the latest forecast details and heed all warnings from your local officials.

This storm will certainly go down in the books as one of the strongest on record if this track is verified. </s> Hurricane Florence, a powerful Category 4 storm, threatens to hit North and South Carolina, as well as a large part of the southeastern US coast, though the storm is expected to slightly weaken by Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday.

"While some weakening is expected to begin by late Thursday, Florence is still forecast to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast on Friday," the Miami-based NHC said in its 15:00 GMT public advisory. </s> • The outer bands of Hurricane Florence have started to hit the coast of the Carolinas as it was downgraded to a Category 1 storm late Thursday night, with sustained winds topping 90 mph.
• The National Hurricane Center warned of "life-threatening storm surge and rainfall" in the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states.
• Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect from the South Santee River in South Carolina to Duck, North Carolina.
• Over 5 million people are under hurricane warnings and watches as of Thursday morning.

The outer bands of Hurricane Florence have started to hit the coast of the Carolinas as it was downgraded to a Category 1 storm late Thursday night, with sustained winds topping 90 mph.

Hurricane Florence's center is expected to make landfall somewhere near the border between North and South Carolina on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), bringing life-threatening storm surge and rainfall.

But the storm's intensity is already being felt — weather stations along the North Carolina coast have registered sustained wind speeds of up to 53 mph, with gusts up to 74 mph.

"If you are in the path of Florence, please stay safe and take shelter today," FEMA said on Twitter Thursday morning. "Communicate with family and friends. Let them know where you are and how you’ll stay in touch."

The NHC has issued hurricane and storm surge warnings for the coastal areas between the South Santee River in South Carolina and Duck, North Carolina as well as Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. A storm surge watch previously announced for areas north of Duck, North Carolina were canceled.

Powerful waves and walls of water are expected to rush inland when the storm arrives, bringing catastrophic flooding. North Carolina's barrier islands, from Cape Fear to Cape Lookout could see the biggest storm surge: between 9 and 11 feet.

Parts of North Carolina's coast, including Hatteras and the Outer Banks, are already experiencing waves of around 30 feet, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoys.

Much of the rest of the Carolina coastline, from the Virginia border down to Edisto Beach, South Carolina is under hurricane and storm surge watch. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 80 miles from Florence's center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles.

The NHC issued an additional tropical storm warning south of Santee River to Edisto Beach on Thursday.

"This is a very serious storm. The power could go out for many weeks," Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday morning.

Florence was expected to slow down considerably late Thursday going into Friday, according to the NHC, meaning it will likely sit over the Carolinas late into the weekend, pounding the area near the shore with rain.

Read More: Where Hurricane Florence's eye is due to make landfall

Around 5.25 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches, and 4.9 million live in places covered by tropical storm warnings or watches, the National Weather Service said, per The Associated Press

"Storm surge is why many of you have been placed under evacuation, and we are asking citizens to please heed the warning. Your time is running out," Long said.

Florence was hovering about 50 miles south of Morehead City, North Carolina, late Thursday night and 60 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. The storm was moving northwest at about 6 mph.

Five states have declared states of emergency ahead of the storm: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, along with Washington, DC.

Evacuation orders are in place in one of South Carolina's four coastal counties. Virginia's governor, Ralph Northam, issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents of the state's low-lying coastal areas as well. In North Carolina, evacuations have been ordered in Dare County, which includes the Outer Banks, as well as other coastal counties, according to The Observer.

In a press conference on Wednesday, North Carolina's governor, Roy Cooper, warned residents: "Disaster is at the doorstep. If you're on the coast there is still time to get out safely."

The storm could leave thousands of buildings flooded. Duke Energy, the Carolinas' major power supplier, said up to 3 million customers could lose power, perhaps for weeks, according to The New York Times.

"This may be a marathon, not a sprint," Cooper added.

Read More: The 14 most important things you should do to prepare for a hurricane

Florence is currently a Category 1 hurricane, meaning it has maximum wind speeds between 74 and 95 mph.

Predicting hurricane paths is a difficult science, and there are still uncertainties about this storm's track. But if predictions hold, Florence's center could make landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday morning.

"A life-threatening storm surge is now highly likely along portions of the coastlines of South Carolina and North Carolina, and a storm surge warning is in effect for a portion of this area," the NHC said Thursday.

The chart below shows the probability that an area that will see winds of at least 39 mph. The area in purple corresponds to a 90% or higher probability of experiencing those gusts.

Hurricane Florence is predicted to slow over the Carolinas and Virginia, where rainfall totals could reach 40 inches.

Heavy rain, up to 10 inches, may extend as far inland as Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city, and Raleigh, its capital. The NHC also said the storm's effects — including rain, high winds, rip currents, and tidal surges — would most likely be felt outside the "cone of probability" and could extend hundreds of miles from the storm's center.

Sluggish or stalled hurricanes — like Hurricane Harvey, which flooded swaths of Houston, Texas, and the Gulf Coast last year — can become even more dangerous as they stick around, pouring rain.

These types of slow-moving hurricanes are becoming more frequent. Recent research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that storms had slowed by an average of 10% over land between 1949 and 2016.

Read more: Why the deluge from Hurricane Florence could could be so intense

Other storms are churning as well

There are three other named storms in the Atlantic right now. Tropical Storm Isaac is about 220 miles southeast of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, with sustained wind speeds of about 40 mph. The NHC has issued a tropical storm warning for the islands of Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe.

Tropical Storm Helene has wind speeds of 65 mph, and will likely approach the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, late Saturday or Sunday. It's not close enough to land for any watches or warnings to be in effect now, though.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean, Super Typhoon Mangkhut is expected to make landfall in the Philippines on Saturday. It has sustained wind speeds of to 150 mph, and could be bigger and stronger than Florence when it hits land. The storm is then expected to move toward southern China, Vietnam, and Laos.

Tropical Storm Olivia has passed Hawaii, and tropical storm warnings have been lifted.
• Hurricane Florence could dump up to 40 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas — here's why the deluge may be so intense
• 'Watch out, America!': Astronauts in space photographed Hurricane Florence, and they say the view is 'chilling'
• Watch storm conditions on these livestreams of North and South Carolina beaches in Hurricane Florence's path
• Hurricane Florence is a Category 2 storm — here's what those labels really mean
• The 14 most important things you should do to prepare for a hurricane </s> (CNN) — The rain turned sideways Thursday, rivers swelled and floodwaters began to fill streets as massive Hurricane Florence trudged toward North Carolina.

The Category 2 storm’s outer bands lashed towns on the barrier islands and on some of the Tar Heel State’s rivers while the center of the cyclone was looking at a possible Friday afternoon landfall.

In Morehead City, the rain and surf pounded the shoreline and took aim at the few boats still in the water. In New Bern, on the Neuse River, a CNN team had to keep shifting position in a park as the water kept rising until it was too dangerous to stay in the area.

Farther south, in Carolina Beach, the northern end of the town was being swamped as waters crashed over the dunes.

Some areas also saw the first of the hurricane-force winds. At Cape Lookout there were sustained winds of 82 mph and gusts that came close to 100.

“With this storm, it’s a Category 2 but the storm surge and the flooding is going to be that of a category 4,” CNN Meteorologist Jennifer Gray said Thursday night.

She said the momentum the storm has generated on its long trip across the Atlantic won’t go away just “because the winds decrease a couple miles an hour.”

While wind speeds dropped Thursday, forecasters reminded people that what makes Florence extremely dangerous are the potentially deadly storm surges, the expected mammoth coastal flooding and historic rainfall.

Florence is expected to go move slowly as it approaches North and South Carolina, whipping hurricane-force winds and dumping relentless rain at least through Saturday.

“It’s not going to take much in a lot of these areas to saturate the soil, so trees are going to come down really easily” and knock down power lines, said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center.
• Florence is getting closer: As of 8 p.m. ET Thursday, the center of Florence was about 85 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and about 145 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The storm’s forward speed had slowed to 5 mph and forecasters were concerned it might have stalled.
• When is landfall? Florence’s center will approach the North and South Carolina coasts late Thursday and Friday. The actual landfall — when the center of the eye reaches land — will be Friday afternoon at the earliest, said Neil Jacobs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Widespread power outages: More than 88,000 homes and businesses are without power, the North Carolina Emergency Management agency said.
• Many flights are canceled: More than 1,300 flights along the US East Coast have been canceled through Friday.

Bookmark this simplified site if you’re in the storm’s path or have a weak phone connection

Millions either flee or prepare for mayhem

The tropical cyclone is expected to unload 10 trillion gallons of rainfall in North Carolina, weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said. That’s enough to fill more than 15 million Olympic-size swimming pools.

In the North Carolina town of Rodanthe, on Hatteras Island, Rebecca Well Hooper shot video of the pier early Thursday afternoon.

“There is some damage … but it is still standing strong. There is overwash but nothing we are not used to,” she said.

Despite days of warnings to evacuate, some residents are staying put — even if they don’t want to.

Cheryl Browning lives with her husband and son, who has terminal cancer, in Richlands, North Carolina. They also have three dogs and three parrots.

Browning’s choice to stay in the hurricane warning zone wasn’t easy, she said, but she “could not find anywhere to go.”

“Either no (hotel) rooms are available, or we are denied because the breed or size of dogs,” she said. “Many that will accept them only allow one per room. And since we have three dogs and three parrots, they’re requesting us to purchase two to six rooms.”

And there’s no way her family could afford that — or the $1,728 per room another hotel quoted. Other residents have told CNN they’re not evacuating because emergency shelters won’t accept pets.

“Since my husband retired and my health declined, we have his retirement as an income. He is the only caregiver to me and my son,” Browning said. “So since we can’t find anything within our means … we’ve opted to stay.”

Her neighbors gave her the key to their house, which is two stories and might be safer from flooding, she said. It’s a kind gesture but doesn’t alleviate Browning’s fear.

“I’m not going to lie: I’m scared,” she said. “But I think it’ll be OK.”

More than 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate and authorities urged them to get going before the streets become inundated.

“Inland flooding kills a lot of people. … Please keep that in mind,” and consider leaving soon, Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said midmorning Thursday.

In North Carolina, Florence is expected to dump up to 40 inches of rain and storm surge will be high.

“Catastrophic effects will be felt outside the center of the storm due to storm surge,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday morning. “Tens of thousands of structures are expected to be flooded, and many more by rising rivers and creeks.”

In Murrell’s Inlet, South Carolina, Mikey Zalloum of Uncle Mikey’s Brick Oven Pizza sweated as he worked feverishly to make pies Thursday night.

His bustling pizza restaurant is one of the few businesses open in the evacuated town.

Why is he open when the town is mostly evacuated? He said he has been through this many times in his 15 years in the Myrtle Beach area and that “nothing is going to happen.”

He said he usually doesn’t make the pizzas himself, but he was on Thursday because “everybody is scared,” including most of his staff.

Officials in several states have declared states of emergency, including in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still recovering from summer storms. </s> Emergency officials on Wednesday urged millions of residents along the southeastern U.S. coast to finish preparations ahead of Hurricane Florence, which is expected to unleash damaging winds and life-threatening amounts of rain when it makes landfall this week.

Florence was at last report a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour. Although it weakened slightly Wednesday afternoon, forecasters do not expect Florence’s strength to change much before it comes ashore near the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

The massive system was about 700 kilometers (435 miles) southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said Florence was “forecast to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast late Thursday and Friday.”

“This is not going to be a glancing blow,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Jeff Byard said in Washington.

The governors of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and Georgia all declared states of emergency.

Byard again urged residents in danger zones to heed warnings to either evacuate or hunker down. “There will be disruptions in our services,” he said. “The power will go off. Infrastructure will be damaged. Homes will be damaged or destroyed. So, again, the time to act is now.”

There was particular concern about the storm lingering once it nears the coast and moves onshore, allowing it to dump torrential amounts of rain in parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. That happened last year when Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 150 centimeters (60 inches) of rain on the Houston, Texas, area.

Forecasters at the hurrican center warned that as much as 101 centimeters (40 inches) of rain could fall on some parts of North Carolina, with a storm surge of up to 4 meters (13 feet).

Along with the high winds and storm surge, forecasters are very concerned that Florence could be a slow-moving storm. It could linger along the Atlantic Coast, dumping massive amounts of rain before drifting inland and bringing its heavy rainfall across the South and into the Mid-Atlantic states by early next week.

President Donald Trump said his administration was “as ready as anybody has ever been” to respond to the storm.

“We’ll handle it. We’re ready. We’re able,” Trump said Wednesday outside the White House. “We’re fully prepared. Food, medical, everything you can imagine, we are ready.”

The president signed federal emergency declarations for the Carolinas and Virginia, a move that freed up federal money and resources. He also urged residents who live in the path of the storm to “get out of its way. Don’t play games with it. It’s a big one.”

More than 1 million people along the coasts of North and South Carolina and southern Virginia have fled. They have faced gas shortages at some stations, while those who have chosen to stay put are clearing store shelves of emergency supplies.

Experts said this could be the strongest storm to hit the Carolina coast in more than 60 years.

The most powerful and only Category 4 hurricane in recorded history to hit the North Carolina coast was Hurricane Hazel in October 1954. Nineteen people in North Carolina were killed, and 15,000 homes were destroyed. </s> Hurricane Florence, which had strengthened into the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, weakened to a Category 1 storm Thursday as it moved on a path toward Bermuda. As of 5 p.m. ET Thursday, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph but was expected to reintensify Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Large swells from Florence are expected to hit Bermuda starting Friday, and portions of the U.S. East Coast over the weekend. Life-threatening surf and rip tides are possible.

There is great uncertainty about Florence’s track beyond day 5. The eye of the hurricane was located 1,050 miles east-southeast of Bermuda as of 5 p.m. ET Thursday and the storm is moving northwest at 10 mph.

Sustained winds have decreased from 130 mph Wednesday when Florence was classified as a Category 4 hurricane.

If Florence continues its current track across the Atlantic, it is likely to hit Bermuda. It should also miss Puerto Rico – located nearly 1,600 miles southwest – which started the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season with its electrical grid and other infrastructure still under repairs from Hurricane Maria last year. The situation was recently criticized in a federal report.

The National Hurricane Center has not yet issued any coastal watches or warnings as of their 5 p.m. ET advisory. But Florence is expected to generate potentially dangerous surf swells and rip current conditions that will begin to affect Bermuda by Friday.

In the U.S., Tropical Storm Gordon never became a hurricane but it was still deadly, killing a child in Florida by blowing a tree onto a mobile home as it made landfall. The storm later weakened into a depression on Wednesday but remained dangerous, dumping rain, spawning tornadoes and kicking up heavy surf in its wake.

The hurricane center said Gordon was weakening on a path into Arkansas after striking the coast at 70 mph, just shy of hurricane strength, near Pascagoula, Mississippi. The remnants will likely cause flash flooding across parts of seven states and as far north as Iowa in the coming days. </s> Despite being downgraded again late Thursday night, this time to a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Florence has brought hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge. It made landfall along the coast of North Carolina near Wrightsville Beach at 7:15 a.m. Friday.

Here's a roundup of videos taken from people in the storm.

The first video above, taken by Mark Cogdell, shows a gas station on Market St. in Wilmington, North Carolina collapsing in Hurricane Florence's winds.

This next video shows huge waves and storm surge crashing into a structure in North Topsail Beach.

More storm surge can be seen outside a home in Belhaven, North Carolina in this video from Amy Johnson.

Here's video of New Bern, North Carolina where hundreds of people were trapped in flood waters.

“We’re estimating we’ve rescued 150-200,” New Bern Police Lt. David Daniels said early Friday morning, who estimates an additional 150-200 are waiting to be rescued.

The video below, taken in Wilmington, North Carolina, shows a large tree being split in half in Florence's winds. </s> Hurricane Florence may have little impact on the D.C. area — for now. Still, Florence is expected to strengthen Wednesday night and the National Hurricane Center says hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

WASHINGTON — Hurricane Florence is now a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds at around 110 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in an update at 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Though the hurricane has weakened somewhat, the center continues to warn of serious storm surge and rainfall threats for much of the southeast and parts of the mid-Atlantic regions.

The storm could dump 20–30 inches of rain along the Carolina coast and up to a foot inland, but the D.C. area itself may only see remnants of the hurricane next week.

Earlier, Florence was already downgraded to Category 3 with winds of 120 mph. Its hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles, and its tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles.

“While Florence has weakened below major hurricane intensity, the wind field of the hurricane continues to grow in size. This evolution will produce storm surges similar to that of a more intense, but smaller, hurricane, and thus the storm surge values seen in the previous advisory are still valid,” the center said Wednesday night.

“The threat of rainfall has also not diminished, and these impacts will cover a large area regardless of exactly where the center of Florence moves.”

In terms of speed, it is expected to slow down considerably by late Thursday and Friday and move through early Saturday, according to the center.

Though the hurricane’s path is heading toward the Carolinas, the storm’s effects may change as it further evolves.

Where is Florence and when will it fall?

For the most recent official information on Florence, consult the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center and your local authorities.

At 11 p.m. Wednesday, Florence was 280 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, moving northwest at 17 mph.

That motion, as well as a decrease in speed, is expected through Saturday. Its center will approach the hurricane warning area on Thursday and Friday, then move slowly near the coastline Saturday.

The projected track had Florence hovering off the southern North Carolina coast from Thursday night until landfall Saturday morning or so, about a day later than previously expected. The track also shifted somewhat south and west, throwing Georgia into peril as Florence moves inland.

Florence’s expected slowdown means a prolonged period near the coast, said Joel Cline with the National Hurricane Center. It could then head west and southwest.

The impact on DC, Maryland and Virginia

The D.C. area will feel considerably less of an impact from Florence, according to current projections. Rainfall forecasts through Wednesday are around 1–2 inches. The worst of Florence’s winds will probably stick well to the region’s south.

The region probably won’t get rain until Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, Storm Team 4 meteorologist Chuck Bell said. Keep in mind, however, that the forecast is still subject to change.

Additional rainfall still raises serious concern around the D.C. area, which is already water-logged.

D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each under states of emergency. And, Cline doesn’t believe Florence will leave the region unscathed.

“It could get caught up in a funnel system and bring rain later in the week,” he said.

The southern portion of the Virginia coast — from the North Carolina border to Cape Charles Light — is under a tropical storm watch. Some portions of Virginia could get around 6 inches of rainfall.

During a news conference Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that 59 local shelters were open across Virginia, and that two commonwealth-managed facilities would be opened — one at Christopher Newport University in Newport News and the other at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg.

“Even if you’re not on the coast, this storm will effect you,” said Northam, who also urged residents to get prepared if they’re not already.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner urged FEMA Administrator Brock Long to expedite disaster-relief efforts to the commonwealth, which is under a state of emergency.

“Hurricane Florence is expected to cause serious flash flooding, mudslides, and river flooding in parts of Virginia that do not have a history of flooding and have already received large amounts of rainfall this year,” Warner wrote. “These areas may not have the resources available to immediately respond to large scale flooding.”

These severe conditions, of course, will impact air travel, too.
• Have at least three days of food, water and medicines on hand
• Sign up for alerts and apps
• Maryland Prepares mobile app, with real-time local information, is available for both Android and iOS phones.
• Virginia residents can sign up for state-issued emergency email alerts.
• D.C. residents can sign up for city alerts.

As of Tuesday, about 1.7 million people in North and South Carolina and Virginia were under warnings to evacuate the coast, and hurricane watches and warnings extended across an area with about 5.4 million residents.

The heavy rainfall projected for parts of North Carolina would produce a catastrophic flash flooding and significant river flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center. Isolated areas could get 40 inches. The volume of rain could cause an environmental disaster, too, if the water inundates the region’s many industrial waste sites and hog manure ponds.

The impact is expected to be similar to that of Hurricane Harvey on the Houston area last year, said Dennis Feltgen of the National Hurricane Center.

“Damaging hurricane-force winds are likely along portions of the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina,” the National Hurricane Center said. “Damaging winds could also spread well inland into portions of the Carolinas and Virginia.”

WTOP’s Teta Alim, Rick Massimo and Kate Ryan contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

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Hurricane Florence weakens to a category 1 storm, but "life-threatening storm surge and rainfall" to the Carolinas remain likely with tropical-storm-force winds on Thursday.