Hurricane Florence Storm Surge Hits Carolina Coast; Storm Is Downgraded To Category 1

Hurricane Florence is predicted to bring “catastrophic flash flooding” to parts of North and South Carolina, along with strong winds and a massive storm surge. This satellite image show the sun rising on the storm Thursday morning.

NOAA/STAR

Updated at 11:45 p.m. ET

A life threatening storm surge along with sustained hurricane-force winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Florence have reached North Carolina. Florence has weakened a bit over the past 24 hours, leading officials to downgrade it to a Category 1 storm, but it also has grown larger and is likely to dump torrential rain over North and South Carolina through Monday.

“A storm surge of 10 feet above normal levels was reported by the National Weather Service office in Morehead City, North Carolina,” reported the National Hurricane Center, citing transportation officials in that state.