Hurricane Ophelia heads toward North Carolina

Hurricane Ophelia is continuing to strengthen as it moves closer to the North Carolina coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reports.The intensity of the storm has now reached 80 to 85 mph, which classifies Ophelia as a Category 1 hurricane.The center of Ophelia is forecast to make landfall on Thursday, Sept. 15 along the southeastern coast of North Carolina near Cape Lookout. The northern eyewall of the hurricane is expected to continue across the southeastern part of North Carolina on Sept. 14 and 15.The governors of North Carolina and Virginia have issued emergency orders to evacuate coastal areas in preparation for Hurricane Ophelia.Reconnaissance aircraft and radar indicate Ophelia has maximum sustained winds of near 85 mph, with some higher gusts. The National Hurricane Centre reports “some slight strengthening [of Ophelia] is still possible within the next 24 hours before landfall [on Sept. 15].”Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center.Charts on the National Hurricane Center’s Web site show the long-range projected path of the storm will take it just past the southernmost tip of Newfoundland-Labrador sometime between Sunday and Monday, although the wind speeds are not included as part of this projection. The site notes that “NHC forecast tracks of the center can be in error.”