2 p.m. update: Strengthening

Here's your National Hurricane Center 2 p.m. update headline:

ERNESTO NEARING HURRICANE STRENGTH ...

Maximum sustained winds have climbed back up to 70 mph...

That's really a concern for the folks north of us though. At this moment, Tropical Storm Ernesto is located 90 miles southeast of Charleston at LATITUDE 31.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.1 WEST... moving north-northeast at 17 mph (it's getting faster).

COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE COASTS OF SOUTH AND NORTH CAROLINA IN AREAS OF ONSHORE FLOW WITHIN THE WARNING AREA. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM SOUTH CAROLINA INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES...AND THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL APPALACHIANS...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES...THROUGH SATURDAY. THESE AMOUNTS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS.

We'll add the storm track graphic as soon as we can get our hands on it...