More than 480,000 without power in NC as Florence makes landfall

CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46 WJZY) - The number of North Carolina residents without power is now more than 480,000, according to North Carolina Emergency Management. 

The outages were announced just after 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14  as the eye of Hurricane Florence wobbled slowly southwestward just off the coast of southeastern North Carolina, near the border with South Carolina. 

The top counties affected are Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, Wake and Wayne counties. 

[PHOTO GALLERY] Hurricane Florence strikes the Carolinas

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of up to 21 mph (34 kph) on Friday morning in Columbia.

That's about 220 miles (354 kilometers) from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 7:15 a.m. Friday, coming ashore along a mostly boarded-up, emptied-out stretch of coastline.

The Charlotte area is expected to see heavy rain and 30-40 mph winds in the coming days, which could cause power outages and flooding in certain areas. 

RELATED: Hurricane Florence's eye moves offshore toward South Carolina

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For the latest on Hurricane Florence, visit the FOX 46 Resource Center.