As of 5 a.m. Hurricane Mathew was located at 32.0 N 80.5 W or about 20 miles southeast of Hilton Head, SC, and moving north-northeast at 12 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 105 mph. Bladen County remains under a tropical storm warning and flash flood watch through Sunday morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected throughout the day for Bladen County.
The National Weather Service office in Wilmington is forecasting Bladen County could receive between 10 to 12 inches of rainfall throughout the weekend. Some localized areas could receive even more.
There is a river flood warning in effect for the Cape Fear River at William O Huske Lock and Dam No. 3 and at Elizabethtown. Flood stage for the river is 42 feet and at 9 p.m. Friday the river was at 34.7 feet in the vicinity of Lock and Dam No. 3.
As of 6 a.m. the National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 52 mph at Kure Beach, Lumberton 18 mph with gusts of 28 mph, and Whiteville 26 mph. Wind gusts are forecast to reach as high as 55 mph. Downed trees from strong wind gusts are possible.
The Emergency Shelters are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. 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.
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