Hurricane Dorian Pounds North and South Carolina Coasts

Some areas in the Carolinas could potentially face 15 inches of rain as Hurricane Dorian continues its northward trajectory up the east coast. Dorian pelted Charleston, South Carolina with heavy winds and rain for most of the day on Thursday, the Post and Courier reports. Waterspouts moved onshore near Myrtle Beach and triggered a series of tornado warnings.

As of 10:00 PM Thursday night, Dorian was off the coast of North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 100 MPH and was moving NE at 13 MPH, Weather Underground reports. While the eye of the storm remains over the Atlantic, tropical-storm-force winds extend over 200 miles from the center and hurricane-force winds extend almost 60 miles from the center.

The Governors of the two states are still preaching caution to their residents. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Dorian’s arrival could bring “sustained winds up to 100 miles an hour, the threat of tornadoes and a high risk of dangerous flash floods.” Even though the worst of the storm had passed South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster urged caution. According to the New York Times, he said, “We’re still battening down the hatches. When the wind stops, we still have to deal with the water, because the water’s going to last longer.” 

Dorian has weakened since it brought devastation to the Bahamas. Dorian was at category 5 strength when its forward motion stalled over the weekend. Many homes on the islands were completely demolished and at least 30 deaths have been confirmed. Minister of Health Duane Sands said on Thursday that the number killed by the storm, “could be staggering.”

Hurricane warnings remain in effect from north of Charleston to the North Carolina/Virginia line. Tropical storm warnings stretch inland for over 100 miles on some parts of the Carolinas and extend as far north as Ocean City, Maryland.

Experts expect Dorian to pass near North Carolina or possibly make landfall there before it heads back out into the Atlantic Ocean, likely bringing wind and rain to parts of New England. Dorian is expected to move into Nova Scotia and Newfoundland over the weekend.

Scott Slayton writes at “One Degree to Another.”

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Sean Rayford/Stringer