Hurricane Ian heads for North Carolina

Hurricane Ian is likely to make its second landfall between Charleston and Myrtle Beach this afternoon, the same area where the notorious storm Matthew (2016) made landfall.

• Matthew left major destruction in North Carolina.
• Forecasts show Ian will still be a tropical storm when it reaches the North Carolina line around Lumberton or Laurinburg, places still recovering from multiple historic storms in recent years.

The big picture: Rivers and streams will likely rise. Trees will probably fall. But the extent of your troubles will vary based on where you are.

Why it matters: North Carolina knows all too well that the deadliest parts of hurricanes are the floods.

What's next: Forecasters are predicting between two and four inches of rain in most of the Triangle, and up to six inches in some parts. That's close to what we saw during Hurricane Florence, though some parts of the Triangle had up to 10 inches of rain.

• Areas south and west of the Triangle will get more rain. And those south and east of the Triangle are almost guaranteed to encounter tropical storm force winds.

Zoom in: In the Triangle, this will amount to possible power outages and flash flooding, plus the possibility of tornadoes.

• Stay off the road during the storm if you can, and don’t walk or drive through standing water.

Catch up quick: Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Wednesday, a move that will protect consumers from price gouging, activate the national guard if necessary and waive weighing requirements for heavy vehicles carrying agricultural products.

• Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston counties called off school Friday in anticipation of the storm.

What they're saying: "A State of Emergency is needed now so that farmers and those preparing for the storm can more quickly get ready for the heavy rain that is likely to fall in much of our state," Cooper said in a release Wednesday.

• "North Carolinians should stay aware, keep a close eye on the forecast and prepare their emergency supplies."

East of the Triangle, Rep. John Bell, whose district includes Goldsboro, told Axios that more than 100 of his constituents’ homes that were damaged or destroyed during Hurricanes Florence and Matthew are still awaiting disaster relief.

• “I talked to a guy yesterday who was completely and utterly defeated,” Bell said of a constituent whose home was damaged during Hurricane Matthew and has yet to be repaired.

• That constituent's home, and many others’ who are awaiting disaster relief, may be hit with flooding again.
• “If it hits us we're going to flood,” Bell said. “If it goes west, guess what's gonna happen: We're going to flood.”

What else to know in the lead-up to the storm’s arrival:

• Keep flashlights, batteries and shelf-stable food on hand in case of power outages.
• Check gutters, trim tree branches and pay attention to anything around your home that could be taken out by wind or heavy rain.
• For information on how to build an emergency kit, visit ReadyNC.gov.
• The accuracy of the forecast improves with every update
• Tune into trusted sources for information on the storm, like The National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center and local media outlets.

Some Twitter accounts to follow and turn on alerts for, if you're looking to stay up to date via social media:

• NC Emergency Management
• State climatologist Kathie Dello
• NWS Raleigh
• NCDOT, for travel updates
• WRAL's Kat Campbell