By Thursday evening, the Category 2 storm was about 45 miles from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, slowly weakening as it moved northeastward up the East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Though the eye of the storm has so far remained offshore, the center’s models indicate that it could make landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Friday.
The eye does not have to make landfall for the storm to cause serious damage. Hurricane-strength winds, extending as far as 60 miles from the storm center, pummeled parts of the South Carolina coast on Thursday. At one point, the storm’s strongest winds, in the western wall of the eye, were just 10 to 15 miles offshore. Forecasters said storm surge waters could flood up to 8 feet above normal tide levels in some areas.
Dorian’s rain bands whipped cities from Savannah, Georgia, to Wilmington, North Carolina. Some places along the coast could receive as much as 15 inches of rain before the storm departs. Approximately 360,000 South Carolinians have evacuated from their homes. The storm knocked out power for nearly 200,000 customers in South Carolina, as well as 9,000 in North Carolina and 7,000 in Georgia.
Dorian brought tornadoes to North Myrtle Beach and Little River, South Carolina, said John Quagliariello, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
As of early Thursday afternoon, nearly 10 inches of rain had fallen on Pawleys Island, more than 8 inches on Myrtle Beach and up to 7.5 inches in Charleston, all of which Quagliariello warned could increase the risk of flash flooding. The Waccamaw River was expected to crest late Friday and into Saturday morning.
A tornado touched down Thursday morning in Carolina Shores, North Carolina; a local official said it caused no serious injuries. Several other tornadoes also touched down in the state, according to Gov. Roy Cooper.
Areas near Wilmington had received 9 inches of rain by Thursday afternoon. Forecasters said tidal waters around Wilmington could rise between 4 and 7 feet above normal in some places.
This article originally appeared in
.