Hermine leaves two dead as storm crashes US holiday weekend

District of Columbia: Former hurricane Hermine churned Saturday off the US East Coast, killing a second victim as it threatened deadly flooding and spoiled beach plans for the summer`s last holiday weekend.

Hermine, now a post-tropical cyclone, was moving across the Outer Banks of North Carolina in an east-northeasterly direction at approximately 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

The storm`s latest fatality occurred when winds estimated between 60 to 70 mile per hour blew an 18-wheeler across highway lanes in North Carolina and propelled the cab into the railing of a bridge, killing the unidentified driver, Tyrrell County Sheriff Darryl Liverman told AFP.

The death brings the storm`s casualties to two, after a homeless man was killed by a falling tree Friday in Florida.

Already packing sustained wind gusts maxing at 70 miles per hour, Hermine threatens deadly flooding along the East Coast.

"Hermine is expected to intensify to hurricane force on Sunday," the NHC said in its latest bulletin.

The Miami-based service also warned of an anticipated dangerous storm surge in the next 36 hours along the coast from Virginia to New Jersey.

Hermine was a hurricane when it slammed into Florida`s Gulf of Mexico coast early Friday, causing street flooding and power outages, the southeast state`s first hurricane landfall since 2005.

It was downgraded later that day to a tropical storm as it moved north.

Hermine was expected to lose forward speed and then "meander" offshore of the mid-Atlantic coast into Sunday, the center said.

Forecasters say the storm could dump up to seven inches (nearly 18 centimeters) of rain over parts of Virginia and Maryland through Monday morning.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Friday under the potential threat of damaging high winds, heavy rainfall and a dangerous storm surge and flooding.

"I urge Virginians to limit travel as the severe weather arrives and evacuate if recommended by officials," he said.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency for coastal areas.

Hermine brought bad news for throngs of travelers hoping to enjoy beach time on the three-day Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of the US summer vacation season.

Large waves likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents are expected from the mid-Atlantic states to southern New England, the NHC said.

Hermine is the fourth Atlantic hurricane of 2016. The last hurricane to make landfall in the United States was Arthur in 2014 in North Carolina.