Hurricane Michael came inland Wednesday afternoon along the Florida panhandle just below category 5 strength causing catastrophic damage.  It has since weakened into a tropical storm but will still pack a punch as it quickly moves across the Carolinas Thursday.

Michael will bring several threats to North Carolina.  Heavy downpours in a short amount of time could lead to flash flooding.  The greatest risk for flooding will come across the Piedmont where three to seven inches of rain is forecast.  Lower amounts are now expected in the mountains and near the coast.  Areas of southeastern North Carolina including Wilmington that saw at least two feet of rain during Hurricane Florence should only see around one to two inches of rain from Michael.

Rainfall forecast

Strong wind gusts will also be a concern across the state Thursday.  Gusts will range from 25 to 50mph with the highest gusts expected in the afternoon from near the Triangle and Sandhills to the coast.  The winds combined with a saturated ground could lead to downed trees and spotty power outages.

Brief tornadoes could spin up as well near and to the east of Michael's track.  That would place the threat for tornadoes mainly in an area from around the Triangle and Sandhills to the coast.

Severe weather outlook

Rain from Michael and the threat for any tornadoes will come to an end through Thursday evening.  Clearing skies are expected across the state through the night.  Sunshine will return for Friday and much of the weekend.

Stay tuned to Weather on the 1s on Spectrum News for updates through the day.