Images: Hurricane Ophelia swamps Carolinas

The eye of Hurricane Ophelia is moving slowly at 3 mph just off the coast of North Carolina as of 11:00 a.m. EST, Sept. 15. This Category One hurricane (lowest on the Saffir-Simpson scale) has sustained winds of 80 mph with higher gusts. Ophelia is expected to dump 3-5 more inches of rain on eastern North Carolina in the next 24 hours.

Photo by NESDIS Satellite Services Division (NOAA)