Western Tidewater under tropical storm watch

WAKEFIELD

The 5 p.m. Tuesday update from the National Weather Service in Wakefield indicates that Hurricane Dorian, currently a category 2 storm, has began its climb up the Eastern coast of the United States.

Hurricane warnings and watches have been issued along the entire coastlines of South Carolina and North Carolina. The current path indicates landfall could occur around Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at approximately 8 a.m. on Friday.

Also at 5 on Tuesday, the NWS station in Wakefield had issued a tropical storm watch for the city of Franklin, Southampton County and Isle of Wight County, as well as other coastal Virginia localities. A tropical storm watch, according to the NWS, means sustained winds of 39 to 72 miles per hour are anticipated due to the arrival of a tropical storm within the next 48 hours.

What was once a brutal category 5, Dorian spent nearly two days battering the islands of the Bahamas. A category 2 storm packs sustained winds of up to 110 miles per hour, while category 5 storms produce unthinkable winds in excess of 157 miles per hour.

Although the storm has been downgraded, experts say to remain vigilant and continue storm preparations.