The weakened remnants of Hurricane Ian are swirling north out of the Charlotte area this morning, leaving behind downed trees, swollen rivers, and damaged power lines. Duke Energy spokesperson Logan Kureczka says the high winds and driving rain knocked out power to nearly 850,000 Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas. Power has been restored to many, but others remain in the dark.

"Right now we’ve got about 300,000 customers across the Carolinas that are currently out," Kureczka said.

About 10,000 electricity workers are meeting at the Charlotte Motor Speedway this morning to receive assignments and deploy around the region to fix power lines and assess damage. The National Weather Service has not received reports of any major damage in the Charlotte area as of this morning.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Rescuers searched for survivors among the ruins of Florida's flooded homes from Hurricane Ian while authorities in South Carolina waited for daylight to assess damage from its strike there as the remnants of one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. continued to push north.

The powerful storm terrorized millions of people for most of the week, battering western Cuba before raking across Florida from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, where it mustered enough strength for a final assault on South Carolina. Now weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, Ian was expected to move across central North Carolina on Saturday morning and reach south-central Virginia by the afternoon.

At least 30 people were confirmed dead, including 27 people in Florida mostly from drowning but others from the storm's tragic aftereffects. An elderly couple died after their oxygen machines shut off when they lost power, authorities said.

Meanwhile, distraught residents waded through knee-high water Friday, salvaging what possessions they could from their flooded homes and loading them onto rafts and canoes.

"I want to sit in the corner and cry. I don't know what else to do," Stevie Scuderi said after shuffling through her mostly destroyed Fort Myers apartment, the mud in her kitchen clinging to her purple sandals.

In South Carolina, Ian's center came ashore near Georgetown, a small community along the Winyah Bay about 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of historic Charleston. The storm washed away parts of four piers along the coast, including two connected to the popular tourist town of Myrtle Beach.

The storm's winds were much weaker Friday than during Ian's landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast earlier in the week. Authorities and volunteers there were still assessing the damage as shocked residents tried to make sense of what they just lived through.

Anthony Rivera, 25, said he had to climb through the window of his first-floor apartment during the storm to carry his grandmother and girlfriend to the second floor. As they hurried to escape the rising water, the storm surge had washed a boat right up next to his apartment.

"That's the scariest thing in the world because I can't stop no boat," he said. "I'm not Superman."

Even though Ian has long passed over Florida, new problems continued to arise. A 14-mile (22-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 75 was closed late Friday in both directions in the Port Charlotte area because of the massive amount of water swelling the Myakka River.

Ross Giarratana, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tampa, said the Myakka was cresting at a record 12.73 feet (3.88 meters) Saturday morning.

Further southeast, the Peace River was also at a major flood stage early Saturday in Polk, Hardee and DeSoto counties. The majority of those points have not yet crested, Giarratana said.

"It was crazy to look at just how quickly the rivers were rising,'' he said. "We knew that we were in for some record stuff."

The official death toll climbed throughout the day Friday, with authorities warning it would likely rise much higher once crews made a more comprehensive sweep of the damage. Searches were aimed at emergency rescues and initial assessments, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. He described one submerged home as an example.

"The water was up over the rooftop, right, but we had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he could identify that it appeared to be human remains. We do not know exactly how many," Guthrie said.

The dead included a 68-year-old woman swept into the ocean by a wave and a 67-year-old man who who fell into rising water inside his home while awaiting rescue.

Authorities also said a 22-year-old woman died after an ATV rollover from a road washout and a 71-year-old man suffered a fatal fall from a rooftop while putting up rain shutters. Another three people died in Cuba earlier in the week.

Hurricane Ian has likely caused "well over $100 billion'' in damage, including $63 billion in privately insured losses, according to the disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & Co., which regularly issues flash catastrophe estimates. If those numbers are borne out, that would make Ian at least the fourth costliest hurricane in U.S. history.

In the Sarasota suburb of North Point, Florida, residents of the Country Club Ridge subdivision waded through waterlogged streets Friday. John Chihil solemnly towed a canoe and another small boat through the ankle-deep water.

"There's really not much to feel. It's an act of God, you know?" he said. "I mean, that's all you can do is pray and hope for a better day tomorrow."

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Gomez Licon reported from Punta Gorda, Florida; Associated Press contributors include Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida; Terry Spencer and Tim Reynolds in Fort Myers, Florida; Cody Jackson in Tampa, Florida; Freida Frisaro in Miami; Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida; Daniel Kozin in North Port, Florida; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Bobby Caina Calvan in New York; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina.

The U.S. death toll from Hurricane Ian has risen to 17 as Florida authorities on Friday afternoon confirmed several drowning deaths and other fatalities.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the deaths included a 22-year-old woman who was ejected from an ATV rollover on Friday because of a road washout in Manatee County and a 71-year-old man who died of head injuries when he fell off a roof while putting up rain shutters on Wednesday. Many of the other deaths were drownings, including a 68-year-old woman who was swept into the ocean by a wave.

Another three people died in Cuba as the storm made its way north earlier in the week. The death toll was expected to increase substantially when emergency officials have an opportunity to search many areas hardest hit by the storm.

Hurricane Ian is "at our door," with drenching rain and heavy winds, Gov. Roy Cooper said at a briefing in Raleigh Friday afternoon. The governor said state emergency crews will be moved as needed to adjust to the storm's shifting path as it charges through the state Friday night and early Saturday.

Cooper said Ian is now expected to hit hardest in the central and southeastern parts of the state.

"We were looking at this being more of a western North Carolina event a little earlier. The storm has tacked a little bit to the east. So we may see more rain in the southeastern and central part of our state than expected," Cooper said.

Cooper said road and emergency crews are staged in all 100 North Carolina counties but can move quickly if needed.

"And if we see that needs are greater in one part of the state than another, then those crews are ready to reposition. That's why they've been spaced out the way they have been," he said.

Power outages were on the increase even before the storm arrived, especially in southeastern NC, according to emergency management director Will Ray. NCDOT Chief Eric Boyette said road conditions have gotten worse, and he urged people to stay off the roads until the storm has passed.

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service says Charlotte may not get as much rain as previously predicted. Meteorologist Christiaan Patterson with the weather service's office in Greer, South Carolina, tells WFAE that dry air is weakening the storm as its path shifts slightly to the east of Charlotte.

"Rain totals have actually come down a lot since the forecast yesterday, which is great news," Patterson said. "We're looking at probably around two inches, with three inches possible in some localized areas."

Patterson said the Charlotte area may also be at a lower risk for flooding because the ground has been relatively dry leading up to the storm.

"Whenever we look at flooding, we also look at how saturated is the ground going into a flood event like a hurricane, and thankfully, we've actually had quite a number of dry days leading up to Ian," Patterson said. "That lowers the moisture content in the ground, which can limit the amount of severity when it comes to flooding."

Still, rivers and streams are expected to swell as rain continues to fall through Friday night into Saturday morning, and isolated flooding is likely.

Wind gusts could reach 40 to 50 miles per hour Friday night, Patterson said. That's strong enough to damage porches, awnings, carports, sheds and unanchored mobile homes. The weather service also anticipates falling trees and large tree limbs.

The weather service expects the strongest winds and heaviest rainfall to occur Friday evening around the Charlotte metro. The storm is forecast to weaken as it swirls north into Virginia, ultimately leaving the Charlotte area around noon Saturday.

Duke Energy said Friday afternoon it had roughly 10,000 crew members, including about 6,100 line technicians, ready to respond to power outages across the Carolinas resulting from Hurricane Ian. Customers should prepare to be without power for multiple days, the Charlotte-based power and natural gas company said, because line technicians do not work in elevated bucket trucks when wind gusts or sustained winds reach above 30 miles per hour.

As of 2:45 p.m., roughly 65,800 Duke customers were without power in the Carolinas, according to the company's outage map.

“Crew members, contractors, tree specialists and other personnel are being staged across North Carolina and South Carolina,” Duke said in a Friday news release. “Placing crews near areas that will likely be affected by this system allows for the quickest and safest response after the storm passes and conditions are safe.”

Duke said in the release that it restores power in a sequence starting with public health and safety facilities. Customers can report a power outage in any of the following ways:

• Texting OUT to 57801
• Visting duke-energy.com
• Using the Duke Energy smartphone app 
• Calling (800) 228-8485

The company reminded people to stay away from downed or sagging power lines.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Hurricane Ian made another landfall Friday, this time in South Carolina, after carving a swath of destruction across Florida earlier this week.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Ian's center came ashore Friday afternoon near Georgetown with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

Ian hit Florida's Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds Wednesday, flooding homes and leaving nearly 2.7 million people without power.

Before landfall, sheets of rain whipped trees and power lines and left many areas on Charleston's downtown peninsula under water by midday. A popular pier in the beach community of Pawleys Island collapsed and floated away. In Myrtle Beach, waves were pushing against the city's boardwalk tourist area, flowing over where thousands of tourists typically fill the wide sandy stretch.

Ian left a broad swath of destruction after it came ashore on Florida's Gulf Coast as one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. The storm flooded areas on both of Florida's coasts, tore homes from their slabs, demolished beachfront businesses and left more than 2 million people without power. At least nine people were confirmed dead in the U.S. — a number that was almost certain to increase as officials confirm more deaths and search for people.

Rescue crews piloted boats and waded through riverine streets Thursday to save thousands of people trapped amid flooded homes and buildings shattered by Hurricane Ian.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that rescue crews had gone door-to-door to over 3,000 homes in the hardest-hit areas.

"There's really been a Herculean effort," he said during a news conference in Tallahassee.

Climate change added at least 10% more rain to Hurricane Ian, according to a study prepared immediately after the storm, said its co-author, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab climate scientist Michael Wehner.

Among those killed were an 80-year-old woman and a 94-year-old man who relied on oxygen machines that stopped working amid power outages, as well as a 67-year-old man who was waiting to be rescued died after falling into rising water inside his home, authorities said.

Officials fear the death toll could rise substantially, given the wide territory swamped by the storm.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said responders have focused so far on "hasty" searches, aimed at emergency rescues and initial assessments, which will be followed by two additional waves of searches. Initial responders who come across possible remains are leaving them without confirming, he said Friday, describing as an example the case of a submerged home.

"The water was up over the rooftop, right, but we had a Coast Guard rescue swimmer swim down into it and he could identify that it appeared to be human remains. We do not know exactly how many," Guthrie said.

At least three people were reported killed in Cuba after the hurricane struck there on Tuesday.

In Florida, businesses near Fort Myers Beach were completely razed, leaving twisted debris. Broken docks floated at odd angles beside damaged boats. Fires smoldered on lots where houses once stood.

"I don't know how anyone could have survived in there," William Goodison said amid the wreckage of a mobile home park where he'd lived for 11 years. Goodison rode out the storm at his son's house inland.

The hurricane tore through the park of about 60 homes, leaving many destroyed or mangled beyond repair, including Goodison's. Wading through waist-deep water, Goodison and his son wheeled two trash cans containing what little he could salvage — a portable air conditioner, some tools and a baseball bat.

The road into Fort Myers Beach was littered with broken trees, boat trailers and other debris. Cars were abandoned in the road, having stalled when the storm surge flooded their engines.

Emergency crews sawed through toppled trees to reach stranded people. Many in the hardest-hit areas were unable to call for help because of electrical and cellular outages.

A chunk of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people live.

Hours after weakening to a tropical storm while crossing the Florida peninsula, Ian regained strength Thursday evening over the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would hit South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane Friday, still much weaker than the Category 4 hurricane it was on Wednesday.

National Guard troops were being positioned in South Carolina to help with the aftermath, including any water rescues. And in Washington, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state, a needed step to speed federal assist for recovery once Ian passes.

In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to prepare for torrents of rain, high winds and potential power outages.

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Gomez Licon reported from Punta Gorda, Florida; Associated Press contributors include Terry Spencer and Tim Reynolds in Fort Myers, Florida; Cody Jackson in Tampa, Florida; Freida Frisaro in Miami; Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida; Seth Borenstein in Washington; and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York.

Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm Thursday. And President Joe Biden has signed an emergency declarationfor the state. The president's declaration allows federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to coordinate relief efforts and provide financial assistance later.

People along the South Carolina coast are hunkering down as Hurricane Ian approaches. The storm's effects were already being felt this morning in Charleston. Tony Bartelme is a reporter at the Post & Courier in Charleston and described the scene around 10:30 a.m. Friday.

"Ian's first bands are starting to really hit. We've got 40 mile-an-hour winds on the barrier islands. We've got 30-mile-an-hour winds in town. We've had about two and a half inches of rain so far," Bartelme said.

"We've got tree branches down. About 23,000 people are without power in South Carolina right now. And that's going to go up very quickly," he said.

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall along the South Carolina coast early this afternoon.

One bit of good news: Lower than expected tides at midday could lessen the damage, Bartelme said.

"We were expecting a 9-foot tide. And so the city floods when the tide hits about seven feet. But the of the storm is such that the winds are actually holding the tide, pushing the tide back. So instead of a 9-foot tide, we're going to get a 7½-foot tide, it looks like, and that's not a big deal," he said.

The threat of Hurricane Ian is forcing several outdoor festivals in the Charlotte area to cancel or postpone, just as many public school students switch to virtual learning, and government offices restrict hours in anticipation of the storm.

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service expects the storm to make landfall on the South Carolina coast Friday afternoon, before moving into North Carolina and the Charlotte area Friday night. Mecklenburg County officials are warning residents to prepare for strong winds, flooding and possible power outages.

The Breakaway Carolina electronic dance music festival was called offin a message posted on the festival’s website that cited “unsafe” and “severe weather conditions.” The outdoor festival had been planned for the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and organizers said they would provide more information to ticket buyers in the coming weeks.

The Charlotte International Arts Festival also canceled all outdoor performances and installations Thursday and Friday night, including performances of Blue Lapis Light and Birdmen at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, and all installations at Ballantyne’s Backyard. In a message on its Facebook page, the festival said it hoped to resume performances and installations later in the weekend, weather permitting.

Saturday was supposed to opening day for the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, but organizers said they would keep the festival closed until Sunday, when conditions were expected to improve. "The festival is typically open rain or shine but considers the projected rainfall and wind conditions caused by Hurricane Ian to be a unique weather event," the festival wrote on its Facebook page. Ticket buyers will receive refunds, according to festival staff.

The Concord International Festival has also been rescheduled from Saturday, Oct. 1, to Saturday, Oct. 22 as a result of the impending storm, organizers wrote on Facebook. The Taste of Charlotte food festival scheduled this weekend at Truist Field has also been rescheduled for next weekend.

In addition, all Charlotte-Mecklenburg School students were told to stay home Friday and join classes virtually. All Mecklenburg County government offices and libraries were also scheduled to close at noon Friday.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation also planned to close the gates to all county parks at noon Friday. Some parks, including Freedom Park, Kirk Farm Fields and Revolution Park were closed all day Friday because of their location in flood-prone areas.

Some local indoor events were still scheduled to go on as planned this weekend. The Charlotte Film Festival at the Independent Picture House was scheduled to continue through Oct. 2.

In addition, the “Princess Fearless” show will go on at Matthews Playhouse on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the local theater wrote on Facebook.

Oktoberfest events will also go on as planned this weekend at Cabarrus Brewing Company and Suffolk Punch Brewing.

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County officials have activated the Emergency Operations Center today and tomorrow in response to Hurricane Ian. The EOC is located in Charlotte Fire Headquarters just north of uptown and serves as the command center during major events and disasters. Residents are being urged to stay off the roads, if possible today and especially tonight as 3 to 6 inches of rain are expected locally. Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Major Dave Johnson said flash floods are more dangerous than they may appear.

“We don’t want to have to come rescue you from a flooded roadway if we don’t have to,” he said. “So, if you see a roadway that is covered in water please do not attempt to drive through that. It’s very hard to tell how deep that water is and, without fail, every time we have a severe rain event in Charlotte we rescue multiple people who have made that unfortunate decision to try to drive through water that was much deeper than they suspected it was.”

Rain is falling across much of the Carolinas this morning as the states brace for Hurricane Ian and its remnants. WCNC-TV’s Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich said on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks the storm is expected to hit South Carolina’s coast between 2 and 3 this afternoon.

“The angle of the South Carolina coast kind of runs southwest to northeast. So if it continues to jog east, it would take longer to come ashore. If it jogs to the west, then it’s going to be a much quicker landfall. But it roughly looks to be mid-afternoon somewhere between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, maybe in that Georgetown area, the lower part of the Grand Strand looks to be kind of where — the center, at least — is going to come ashore.”

Panovich says three to five feet of storm surge water is possible on the south side of the Myrtle Beach area. He said the storm is also expected to cause a surge in water up and down the east coast, including in North Carolina's Outer Banks. In the Charlotte area, Panovich says wind gusts and flooding rains may not arrive until this evening with the biggest concerns being power outages and downed trees.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Strong winds were blowing early Friday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, with powerful gusts bending tree branches and sending sprays of the steadily falling rain sideways as Hurricane Ian approached.

Streets were largely empty, an ordinarily packed morning commute silenced by the advancing storm. Flash flood warnings were posted, with up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain forecast for the Charleston area, and high tide expected just before noon, a circumstance that often floods the downtown peninsula on its own with even moderate rainfall.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation has canceled all weekend county sports activities. Due to flood-prone areas, gates at Freedom Park, Kirk Farm Fields, and Revolution Park will close at noon on today. The parks will re-open based on conditions.

Flooding is the number one problem faced when tropical storms come through the Mecklenburg County area. Important flood preparedness and safety resources can be found here.

The biggest threat from Hurricane Ian will be water produced by heavy rainfall and coastal and river flooding, said Dr. Rick Luettich, director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. He said while more people judge the severity of a hurricane by its category — which is based on wind speeds — more deaths from tropical storms and hurricanes are water related.

“The water does more damage. It kills more people and it takes longer to recover from than the wind. And so, it turns out, particularly near the coast, the water is the worst hazard, the worst threat, that people face.”

Storm surges are expected to be more than four feet in some coastal areas.

With weather conditions expected to improve significantly Saturday, Charlotte FC’s Major League Soccer match with Philadelphia at Bank of America Stadium is still on schedule to kick off at 5:30 tomorrow. Interim coach Christian Lattanzio says nobody on the team wants to disappoint the hometown crowd at the end of Fan Appreciation Week.

“I don’t think even the weather could stop the passion of the supporters who come to the game on Saturday. We love to play in front of them. The players absolutely love it and sometimes, if anything, they put themselves under pressure because they want to do, always, their best.”

A revived Hurricane Ian set its sights on South Carolina's coast Friday and the historic city of Charleston, with forecasters predicting a storm surge and floods after the megastorm caused catastrophic damage in Florida and left people trapped in their homes.

With all of South Carolina's coast under a hurricane warning, a steady stream of vehicles left Charleston on Thursday, many likely heeding officials' warnings to seek higher ground. Storefronts were sandbagged to ward off high water levels in an area prone to inundation.

On Friday morning in Charleston, powerful wind gusts bent tree branches and sent sprays of steadily falling rain sideways. Streets in the 350-year-old city were largely empty, an ordinarily packed morning commute silenced by the advancing storm.

With winds holding at 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center's update at 8 a.m. Friday placed Ian about 105 miles southeast of Charleston and forecast a "life-threatening storm surge" and hurricane conditions along the Carolina coastal area later Friday.

The hurricane warning stretched from the Savannah River to Cape Fear, with flooding likely across the Carolinas and southwestern Virginia, the center said. The forecast predicted a storm surge of up to 7 feet into coastal areas of the Carolinas, and rainfall of up to 8 inches.

In Florida, rescue crews piloted boats and waded through riverine streets Thursday to save thousands of Floridians trapped amid flooded homes and buildings shattered by Hurricane Ian.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at least 700 rescues, mostly by air, were conducted on Thursday involving the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard and urban search-and-rescue teams.

Ian had come ashore Wednesday on Florida's Gulf Coast as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. It flooded homes on both the state's coasts, cut off the only road access to a barrier island, destroyed a historic waterfront pier and knocked out electricity to 2.6 million Florida homes and businesses — nearly a quarter of utility customers. Some 2.1 million of those customers remained in the dark days afterward.

Climate change added at least 10% more rain to Hurricane Ian, according to a study prepared immediately after the storm, said its co-author, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab climate scientist Michael Wehner.

At least six people were confirmed dead in Florida, including two who died Thursday afternoon when their car hydroplaned and overturned in a water-filled ditch in north Florida's Putnam County, while three other people were reported killed in Cuba after the hurricane struck there on Tuesday.

In the Fort Myers area, the hurricane ripped homes from their slabs and deposited them among shredded wreckage. Businesses near the beach were completely razed, leaving twisted debris. Broken docks floated at odd angles beside damaged boats. Fires smoldered on lots where houses once stood.

"I don't know how anyone could have survived in there," William Goodison said amid the wreckage of a mobile home park in Fort Myers Beach where he'd lived for 11 years. Goodison said he was alive only because he rode out the storm at his son's house inland.

The hurricane tore through the park of about 60 homes, leaving many destroyed or mangled beyond repair, including Goodison's single-wide home. Wading through waist-deep water, Goodison and his son wheeled two trash cans containing what little he could salvage — a portable air conditioner, some tools and a baseball bat.

The road into Fort Myers was littered with broken trees, boat trailers and other debris. Cars were left abandoned in the road, having stalled when the storm surge flooded their engines.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said his office was scrambling to respond to thousands of 911 calls in the Fort Myers area, but many roads and bridges were impassable.

Emergency crews sawed through toppled trees to reach stranded people. Many in the hardest-hit areas were unable to call for help because of electrical and cellular outages.

A chunk of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people live.

Hours after weakening to a tropical storm while crossing the Florida peninsula, Ian regained hurricane strength Thursday evening over the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would hit South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane Friday.

National Guard troops were being positioned in South Carolina to help with the aftermath, including any water rescues. And in Washington, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state, a needed step to speed federal assist for recovery once Ian passes.

The storm was on track to later hit North Carolina, forecasters said. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to prepare for torrents of rain, high winds and potential power outages.

Visiting the state's emergency operations center Thursday, Cooper said that up to 7 inches of rain could fall in some areas, with the potential for mountain landslides and tornadoes statewide.

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Gomez Licon reported from Punta Gorda, Florida; Associated Press contributors include Terry Spencer and Tim Reynolds in Fort Myers, Florida; Cody Jackson in Tampa, Florida; Freida Frisaro in Miami; Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida; Seth Borenstein in Washington; and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York.

South Carolina officials are warning residents who live on the coast or in low-lying areas to head to higher ground as Hurricane Ian makes its way toward the state.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for the South Carolina coast.

Gov. Henry McMaster says conditions are expected to get worse tonight into tomorrow, with possible hurricane-force winds, heavy rains, flooding and tornadoes.

“Doesn’t make much difference whether this comes in at hurricane strength or below it — storm strength — or somewhere on the line, because it’s going to be blowing strong winds and it’s going to be all over the state at different levels, as you can see if you go and look at those maps. But we know we’re going to have a lot of water," McMaster said.

The state’s department of transportation is encouraging South Carolina residents to avoid traveling tomorrow if possible.

The National Weather Service says the worst of the storm is expected to hit the South Carolina coast late Friday morning into the early afternoon — right around high tide.

John Quagliariello is with the National Weather Service in Columbia. He says conditions are expected to worsen this evening into tomorrow.

“The storm surge threat appears to be greatest probably right around the time of high tide tomorrow, which is late morning, early afternoon for a good portion of the coast. That’s when we’re most concerned about the storm surge inundation. And then the isolated tornado threat looks like it would be late tonight, early tomorrow.”

Gov. Roy Cooper this afternoon called Hurricane Ian unpredictable and urged North Carolinians to be ready for when the storm's remnants hit the state Friday and Saturday.

At a briefing with other state officials, Cooper said the storm that devastated Florida could still be a threat even as it weakens.

"For North Carolinians, I want to be clear: This storm can still be dangerous, and even deadly. Heavy rains, up to seven inches in some areas, are likely to bring flooding. Landslides are a threat in our mountains, and there's a chance of tornadoes statewide. Coastal flooding, heavy rain and gusty winds are likely as the storm passes through."

Cooper said 80 North Carolina National Guard troops have been activated to help with storm-related emergencies. Fire departments around the state are readying search and rescue teams. And state Emergency Response Director Will Ray said the state has deployed two urban search and rescue task forces and seven swift water rescue teams in the west and central parts of the state.

"The track of hurricane Ian continues to evolve and adjust where we may see impacts here in North Carolina," Ray said. "With gusty winds and potentially saturated grounds we're likely to see toppled trees bringing down power lines and causing power outages."

Ray said the state isn't expecting widespread power outages but high winds could bring isolated outages. And that's already happening, as wind speeds increase at the storm's outer bands. Duke Energy says about 6,000 people were without power in the Charlotte area around 4 p.m. Some of those outages were caused by limbs falling on power lines.

Charlotte-area schools have announced their operation plans for Friday, Sept. 30 in anticipation of Hurricane Ian's remnants moving across the region.

Sept. 30 will be a remote learning day for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Iredell-Statesville Schools students.

Cabarrus County and Gaston County Schools will both be closed on Sept. 30, with all athletic and extra-curricular activities canceled. For Gaston County teachers, it will be an optional remote workday. There will be no makeup day for Cabarrus County students.

Union County Schools is currently on its Fall Intercession, which means no school for students. Other plans have not been announced. The county declared a state of emergency in a Thursday press release.

Earlier this week, CMS, Gaston County and I-SS had all announced that Friday varsity and junior varsity football games would be rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Currently a tropical storm, Ian is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in South Carolina. Charlotte-area residents should prepare for heavy rainfall, flash flooding and other inclement weather conditions from Friday night to Saturday morning.

North Carolina is in a state of emergency and a tropical storm warning has been announced for Charlotte.

For more information on severe weather, head over to www.weather.gov for the latest updates in your area.