The National Weather Service placed Bladen County under a tropical storm warning Friday afternoon as Hurricane Matthew continues to move toward the southeastern North Carolina coast. The flash flood watch issued early Friday morning also remains in effect.
The forecast calls for the equivalent of tropical storm force winds between 35-45 mph with gusts up to 65 mph beginning Saturday morning and possibly continuing through Sunday morning, the National Weather Service says.
Bladen County Schools announced Friday afternoon that four shelters will open at 8 a.m. Saturday for people needing a safe place to wait out the storm.
Those shelters are located at Bladen Lakes Primary School, East Bladen High School, East Arcadia School and West Bladen High School. West Bladen is the lone pet-friendly location.
Grounds are expected to become saturated into the weekend in Bladen County as periods of heavy rainfall moves onshore along the N.C. coast and continues well inland, the National Weather Service said. As much as 12 inches of rain are possible. Also, downed trees from strong and gusty winds could lead to power outages and impassable roads.
At noon Friday, the center of Matthew was located about 370 miles south-southwest of Wilmington with winds up to 120 mph. The storm was moving north-northwest at 12 mph.
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