Though still more than 1,200 miles from the North Carolina coast, Hurricane Florence reached Category 4 strength Monday morning, September 10, and the giant storm’s winds were already stirring the surf over Highway 12 in the Outer Banks.

The proprietors of Beads & Beans coffee shop in Rodanthe were headed for a home improvement store in Kill Devil Hills for supplies when they encountered water coming over the dunes and onto the road along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Dare County, which includes the central part of the Outer Banks from the Currituck County line to Hatteras Island, has issued mandatory evacuation orders for Monday and Tuesday. Currituck County’s evacuation orders go into effect on Tuesday, and Hyde County ordered visitors off Okracoke Island – only accessible by ferry – as of Monday.

Forecasters now expect Florence to make landfall in the Carolinas late Thursday or early Friday, but tropical storm force winds will reach the coast as early as Wednesday. Credit: Beads & Beans OBX via Storyful