A tropical storm developing off the eastern U.S. coast is set to make landfall in North Carolina on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.
A storm surge watch was issued for parts of the state where winds of about 40 mph and surges of up to 5 feet are expected.
The storm, which was located about 355 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday morning, is heading north at 3 mph, the NHC said.
Residents along the Atlantic coast should watch the system’s progress and path, meteorologist Maria Torres advises.
“This will bring some tropical storm force winds and storm surge along with the high winds to the East Coast through the weekend. Mainly from the Southeast to the Mid-Atlantic states,” she said.
Tropical storm warnings were effective from Cape Fear, NC to Fenwick Island, Delaware, a region that includes Chesapeake Bay, Tidal Potomac, and Pamlico Sounds.
Authorities in Virginia have also warned locals of bad weather in the upcoming days calling on them to prepare for the storm.
