Hurricane Dorian could hit NC coast as Category 3 before weakening to Category 2

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist

Hurricane Dorian is expected to brush against the North Carolina coast Thursday and Friday, the National Hurricane Center’s Tuesday morning forecast shows.

The forecast, released at 5 a.m., shows the Category 3 storm stationary over the Grand Bahama island. At least five people died in the Bahamas.

It’s expected to stay a Category 3 hurricane as it moves up the East Coast and reaches Wilmington late Thursday or early Friday before weakening to a Category 2 storm.

The National Hurricane Center’s cone that predicts where the storm could move shows possible landfall on South Carolina or North Carolina.

If Dorian makes landfall on North Carolina, it would be east of Interstate 95, meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

“You have to remember, this storm is enormous,” she said. “We’re going to see rain well inland, most likely at least to Greensboro and Charlotte. We’re going to see winds gusting up to 60 mph with this storm on Thursday into Friday across parts of our viewing area.”

The biggest threat to the North Carolina coast will be Thursday and Friday, Gardner said.

Hurricanes’ winds are usually strongest on the eastern sides of their centers.

“We may end up being spared the strongest winds, but we’re still talking about a Category 2 storm that’s hugging the coast,” Gardner said.

North Carolina will see its first bands of rain from the storm Wednesday night in southeastern parts of the state.

Rain will move into the Triangle on Thursday morning and into Virginia on Thursday afternoon.

Winds are expected to gust up to 60 mph as the storm hits North Carolina.

Dorian is expected to weaken to a Category 1 hurricane by Friday night.