NORTH CAROLINA

Strong winds and pelting, sometimes sideways rains lashed the Outer Banks on Saturday afternoon as the stretch of coast began to feel the outskirts of Hurricane Sandy.

The National Weather Service estimated that tropical storm conditions -- including sustained winds higher than 39 mph -- will be felt in parts of North Carolina later in the day. Sandy is expected to parallel the coast before eventually making landfall somewhere in the Middle Atlantic region.

Still, even if it never goes directly over North Carolina, Sandy may still have an impact. The forecast calls for between 4 and 7 inches of rain to fall over several days in the Outer Banks, with some spots receiving eight or more inches.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Radar on Saturday afternoon showed heavy rains from the fringes of Sandy pelting much of South Carolina's coast, from Charleston to Myrtle Beach.

The Palmetto State is expected to avoid a direct hit from the storm, which is expected to eventually head over land well to the north. That said, the National Weather Service warns tropical storm conditions are possible from late Saturday afternoon through Sunday in Myrtle Beach, for example, before skies clear up by Monday.