Compared to Florida, North Carolina's coast will see very minor impacts from Hurricane Milton. However, we'll have to watch for possible erosion at our beaches through the end of the week.
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a category 3 storm Thursday night at Siesta Key, Florida. That's near Sarasota and south of Tampa. The storm tracked east across the Florida peninsula through the night and is now moving into the Atlantic.
As Milton heads out to sea, it will create rough surf, minor coastal flooding and that possible beach erosion.
It's best to stay out of the water at all North Carolina beaches today due to that rough surf and dangerous rip currents.
That danger will continue into the start of the weekend.
Rip currents are powerful channels of water that can pull even experienced swimmers away from shore.
Wind gusts Thursday along the immediate coast will not be terribly strong but could reach up to 30 mph. A steady northeasterly wind through Friday morning could cause issues for the Outer Banks, including possible overwash of sections of Highway 12.