North Carolina braces for impact of hurricane Isaias

Atlantic hurricane Isaias made landfall in southern North Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said this morning.

Isaias, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles (140 km) per hour, was due to churn its way up the U.S. East Coast toward Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York, the NHC said.

Life-threatening winds and storm surges – high waters swept in from shore – were expected along the coast of the Carolinas, while heavy rains inland could unleash flash floods.

Isaias, which had briefly weakened into a tropical storm, posed an immediate threat to a stretch of coastline that includes the South Carolina tourist resort of Myrtle Beach and the North Carolina port city of Wilmington.