CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The eye of Florence continues to churn about 180 miles from the North Carolina coast Thursday morning.

  • Landfall now expected Friday morning
  • Winds expected to pick up by as early as Thursday night
  • The main threat from this storm will likely be inland flooding

With landfall now expected Friday morning somewhere along the southeastern coast of North Carolina, we'll begin feeling winds pick up by as early as Thursday night across the Piedmont. Heavy rains are expected to move in late Saturday night through Monday.

The main threat from this storm will likely be inland flooding. With 7 to 10 inches of rain expected across the Piedmont over the next three to five days, we'll likely see some flooding of rivers and streams. Of course, coupled with what could be tropical storm force wind gusts arriving as early as late tonight, there will likely be some trees knocked down as soils become quickly saturated. This will likely lead to power outages across the area.

Areas that will be particularly susceptible to tropical storm conditions will be our far southeastern zones. In fact, Richmond County is already under a Tropical Storm Warning, where tropical storm conditions will become likely within the next 36 hours.

Stay up to date on the clean-up and aftermath of Florence: