Hurricane Florence Coverage (Live Video)

Catastrophic flash floods, life-threatening storm surge, tropical storm-force winds – and even tornadoes – are expected as Hurricane Florence barrels toward the United States east coast Thursday, even as the massive storm was downgraded to a still-deadly Category 2 hurricane.

A rash of late evacuations continued as officials warned the storm will still pack a severe punch to the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic region. The danger comes from Florence's growing wind field, which is likely to bring heavy rains and massive storm surge despite a slightly slower speed.