WILMINGTON — Hurricane Dorian is making its way past the Cape Fear Region and thousands are without power in the Carolinas Friday morning.
According to the Duke Energy outage map, nearly 110,000 customers are without power across North and South Carolina. Crews are ready to respond but when power can be expected to return is not yet known as the power provider waits to assess the damages across the region from the storm.
From heavy winds to torrential rains, Dorian left its mark on the region with the storm’s outer rainbands reaching the area Thursday morning spawning tornadoes across the state.
As of 5:18 a.m. Friday, New Hanover County and the surrounding counties are still under a hurricane warning, but the storm is making its way to the Northeast this morning, according to the National Weather Service Wilmington (NWS).
“Hurricane Dorian is moving to the northeast and approaching the Outer Banks this morning. Hazardous conditions will continue across the Cape Fear region and coastal waters north of Cape Fear this morning, however, conditions will gradually improve through the day,” according to the NWS.
Strong winds are still a concern for the region this morning.
“Potential impacts from the main wind event are still unfolding across the immediate coast of the Cape Fear region this morning. Remain well sheltered from life-threatening wind having possible extensive impacts,” the NWS suggests.
The heavy rains have mostly passed the region but flooding concerns are still very real.
“At 5:03 a.m., Doppler radar indicated that the heaviest rain associated with Dorian has moved out of our area. However, many areas of standing water will continue to flood several roads and other low lying areas today. Some rivers and streams may still experience rises due to runoff as well. Please continue to heed any road closures,” according to the NWS.
For those who have evacuated, the NWS is requesting residents wait until the ‘all clear’ is given by local officials signifying it is safe to return.
