TO CLOSE

The swell is getting bigger and the crews continue to work as Hurricane Florence approaches the coast of North Carolina.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Hurricane Florence, now a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 km / h, continued to turn toward the Carolinas on Thursday as rainwinds from outside bands hit the North Carolina coast.

From 8 pm ET Thursday, the center of Florence was about 85 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northwest at 5 mph.

The hurricane center said Florence was a huge hurricane and its hurricane winds were about 80 miles from the center of the storm. The wind diameter of the tropical storm of Florence is nearly 400 miles.

Because of its size, "a deadly storm surge, heavy rains and destructive winds will cover a large area, no matter where the center of Florence moves," said the hurricane center.

More than 10 million people were under surveillance or warned on Thursday morning, the national meteorological service reported.

TO CLOSE

Federal emergency officials urge people to treat Hurricane Florence seriously, even though it's now a Category 2 storm. The FEMA Administrator, Brock Long, warned people waiting for evacuation: "Your time is running out. (September 13)
AP

More: Storm surge could be the deadliest and most deadly threat of Hurricane Florence

More: Follow Hurricane Florence

More: Hurricane Florence approaches the coast: "It's a life-threatening situation"

Although the storm has weakened to become a category 2 hurricane, this does not mean that the impact will be facilitated. Rick Knabb, Weather Channel hurricane specialist, recalled that Hurricane Ike Category 2 killed dozens of people and caused $ 30 billion in damage when it hit Texas in 2008.

In addition, water – crashing ocean waters or heavy rains – is usually the deadliest and most destructive ingredient of a hurricane.

Coastal areas will be bombarded by torrential rains and storm surges, probably for days, said AccuWeather. Inland areas will be flooded: rainfall of up to 40 inches could cause catastrophic floods.

A 13-foot-high storm could submerge parts of the North Carolina coast, warned the hurricane center.

On the forecast runway, the center of the storm will approach the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina later on Thursday, then move to or on the south coast of North Carolina and Northeast of South Carolina Thursday and Friday.

It is planned to cross parts of eastern South Carolina Friday night until Saturday night, continuing to wet the area with torrential rains.

The storm will move around the southern and central Appalachians early next week, raising concerns about catastrophic flooding due to mountainous terrain.

Automatic reading

Thumbnails poster

Show captions

Last slide next

Read or share this story: https://usat.ly/2xe6T7A