A hurricane warning – meaning hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours — is in effect for a long stretch of the coast, from the Santee River in South Carolina to Duck, N.C., which is part of the Outer Banks. While tropical storms and categories 1 and 2 are not to be taken lightly, it's when we reach Category 3 that a storm reaches "major hurricane" status and has greater increase for loss of life and property damage. The centre of the extremely dangerous storm is currently located about 130 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North California and 185 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in Washington; Jeffrey Collins in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Jennifer Kay in Miami; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Sarah Rankin and Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia; Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Skip Foreman in Charlotte, North Carolina; Jeff Martin in Hampton, Georgia; David Koenig in Dallas; Gerry Broome at Nags Head, North Carolina; and Jay Reeves in Atlanta contributed to this report. About 5.25 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches, and 4.9 million in places covered by tropical storm warnings or watches, the National Weather Service said.
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.