Hurricane Florence floods parts of the Carolinas with pounding wind and rain.

Here’s what’s expected for the weekend

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Although Hurricane Florence has made landfall in North Carolina, deadly and dangerous storm surge will plague the region for at least the next day or two.

Storm surge, the rising mound of water that builds up and comes ashore during a hurricane, is often the deadliest and most destructive threat from the storms.

Video from Belhaven, North Carolina, showed storm-surge flooding up to the window-level of a house early Friday morning. One report was of a 10-foot surge in New Bern, North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.

Coastal flooding from storm surge may persist through multiple high-tide cycles into this weekend east of the center of Florence, the Weather Channel warned. The weather service warned that all coastal areas and tidally connected creeks, rivers, bays, and waterways are at risk of storm surge flooding.

"All evacuation orders from local officials should be followed because of this dangerous threat," the Weather Channel said.

The greatest storm surge inundation is expected between Cape Fear and Cape Hatteras, including the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers and western Pamlico Sound, the National Hurricane Center said. A surge of up to 11 feet is possible in this area.

"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," the National Hurricane Center said.

The surge is also likely along portions of the South Carolina coast.

The tidal cycle also affects storm surge, which is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides. Storm tide is defined as the water level rise due to the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide.

"This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide," the hurricane center said, "resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some cases."

High tides in Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday will be mid-afternoon and again early Saturday morning.

Significant beach erosion is also forecast for the southeastern U.S. coast, the weather service warned. Elevated water levels may persist for some time well after landfall in areas where onshore winds keep churning.

More: Hurricane Florence power outages top 600,000, could hit 3 million as storm unleashes fury

More: Forecasters warn of 'catastrophic' flooding from furious Hurricane Florence

Track: Follow Hurricane Florence

Storm surge has accounted for about half of the deaths in hurricanes since 1970, according to the National Hurricane Center. It caused most of the 1,200 deaths in Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Ocean water inundation may diminish, the flood threat from heavy rain will continue: "This storm will be a marathon vs. a sprint," the National Weather Service said. "In addition to the ongoing, dangerous storm surge and flash flooding, will be a long-term river flood threat WELL INLAND as very heavy rainfall continues to fall in the coming days."

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