Storm heading for Southeast coast

? An intense low-pressure system with wind gusts of up to 52 mph kicked up rough surf, caused minor flooding and knocked out power to thousands of homes in Virginia as it lumbered toward the Carolinas on Thursday.

Minor flooding was reported along the coast from South Carolina to Virginia, with the storm stirring a nighttime high tide and dumping as much as 4.2 inches of rain.

The storm’s center was just off the coast near North Myrtle Beach, S.C., at 10 p.m. CDT. National Weather Service meteorologist Ron Steve said the storm should come ashore around midnight near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line. Winds should diminish after raking the eastern and central parts of North Carolina.

“Once the center of the storm does get over land it will start to lose its punch,” Steve said. “But it’s a bad idea to key too much on the center of the storm because the effects are being felt far away from the center.”