The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an ongoing warning Thursday to North Carolina as hurricane and tropical storm conditions continue across the eastern portion of the state.
Storm surges are expected along the southeastern coast of the U.S. throughout Thursday, with coastal flooding expected in North Carolina as tropical-storm-force winds from Idalia continue to batter the region. In South Carolina, flash, urban and river flooding are also anticipated, NWS said in a statement late Wednesday.
Heavy rains are expected to impact the Carolinas throughout Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Despite being downgraded to a tropical storm, NHC is expecting “considerable impacts” across coastal North Carolina.
5am Thu 31 Aug Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Idalia. Flooding due to heavy rains & coastal flooding due to strong winds on the backside of Idalia will continue across coastal North Carolina through today. https://t.co/y75tVkKnUz pic.twitter.com/WhpDOWMKNk
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 31, 2023
In and around Raleigh, locals were sent a “Hurricane Local Statement” with an alert in place until 1:45 p.m. local time. A tornado was also spotted just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, hurling at least one car along the roadway, according to shocking video shared by AccuWeather. (RELATED: Videos Show Early Stages Of Hurricane Idalia Making Destructive Landfall In Florida)
Idalia struck Florida as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday with 125 mph winds, causing massive destruction in parts of Big Bend, Cedar Keys, Perry and Madison, before being downgraded to a Cat. 2 and then a Cat. 1 hurricane later in the day. Search and rescue operations are currently underway in Horseshoe Beach, which was hit hard by enormous storm surges.