After flirting with touching the East Coast for nearly four days, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the United States at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Friday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
Landfall came around 8:35 a.m., EDT, Friday with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and a minimum central pressure of 28.23 inches of Mercury (956 millibars). This is a far cry from when it made landfall in the Bahamas as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and a minimum pressure of 26.87 inches of Mercury (910 millibars).
Despite being a shell of its former self, Dorian still brought damaging winds and inundating storm surge along the coast, particularly along the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
"There is significant concern about hundreds of people trapped on Okracoke Island," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced in a press conference on Friday morning.
Unconfirmed totals place the number of people trapped on Ocracoke Island at around 800, according to the Charlotte Observer.
(AP Photo/Mic Smith)
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Walker Townsend clears marsh grass from the Isle of Palms marina boat landing after Hurricane Dorian passed by the Isle of Palms, S.C., Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. Dorian sideswiped the Carolinas on Thursday, spinning off tornadoes that peeled away roofs and flipped recreational vehicles.
There was a rapid spike in the water level on Ocracoke Island as storm surge piled up off the Pamlico Sound. The water level on the sound jumped over six feet in less than two hours on Friday morning, prompting a flash flood emergency.
This was the second highest water level on record at the Pamlico Sound, behind water levels during Hurricane Michael in 2016. This left Ocracoke only accessible only by boat or by air.
"This latest development shows that we cannot let our guard down," Cooper said. "For the Outer Banks and northeastern North Carolina, continue to shelter in a safe place, keep off the roads and stay alert."
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Power outages surged in coastal areas as Dorian pelted the coast of the Carolinas with wind-whipped rain.
The number of power outages across the Carolinas on Thursday evening approached 300,000 but have since gone down. However, Ocracoke Island remains without power, according to Cooper.
"The storm has left behind destruction. Storm surge inundated Ocracoke Island," Cooper said. "Currently, the island has no electricity and many homes and buildings are still underwater. Communications experts, law enforcement and a medical strike team have been transported there and a search and rescue team is on the way."
Ocracoke Island now. Rapidly rising water due to storm surge off the Pamlico Sound. Seek higher ground immediately, Ocracoke Island, Hatteras Village, etc.
Pic credit: Amy Howard.
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Around 2 p.m., EDT, Friday, the first rescue crew from the mainland landed on the island, according to the Hyde County Sheriff's Office. Crews were transporting residents to a nearby storm shelter until conditions improve and they can return home.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced on Friday that NC12 was closed due to the flooding and that travel on Ocracoke and Hatteras was "extremely dangerous at this point."
The top U.S. wind gust reports came from the coasts of the Carolinas. At Cape Lookout, North Carolina, one of the possible areas meteorologists had thought Dorian could make landfall, wind gusts were measured at 94 mph.
As of Friday afternoon, there have been four Dorian-related deaths on U.S. soil, three in Florida and one in North Carolina. All three died while preparing for the storm, according to the New York Times.
Areas impacted by the historic hurricane can expect dry, settled weather in the wake of Dorian, allowing flood waters to recede and cleanup efforts to begin.
However, some areas could experience record-challenging heat. This may become an issue for those still left without power in the wake of the storm.
Meanwhile, those in Atlantic Canada are bracing for a direct hit by Dorian as it races northward.
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