Rain, fog and relatively chilly temperatures are expected to remain in New York City on Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane Florence, meanwhile, continues to hurtle toward the southeast coast.
The dreary weather conditions will likely move out of the area by Friday night, per the NWS. Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be mostly sunny with high temperatures around 80 degrees.
Along the southeast coast, more than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes as Hurricane Florence barreled closer. The storm is not expected to have any direct impact on New York City, according to the NWS.
Hurricane Florence weakened to a Category 2 from a Category 4 storm on Thursday, packing winds of 105 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said.
The center of Florence is expected to hit North Carolina’s southern coast Friday, then drift southwest before moving inland on Saturday, enough time to drop as much as 40 inches (1 meter) of rain in places, according to the National Hurricane Center. An estimated 10 million people live in the storm’s path, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center.
“Hurricane Florence was uninvited but she’s just about here anyway,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. “Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill. Today the threat becomes a reality.”
The governors of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency. President Donald Trump also signed federal declarations of emergency for Virginia and the Carolinas, freeing up federal resources for storm response.
“We are sparing no expense. We are totally prepared,” Trump said at the White House on Tuesday, adding that the administration would go to Congress for emergency funding.
