Washington, Sep 6 (IANS): Hurricane Dorian has weakened to a Category 1 storm but its wind speed continued to be high at 150 kph off the coast of the US state of North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

An NHC bulletin at 5 a.m. on Friday said that Dorian's eye was located 70 km east-northeast of Wilmington and 85 km southwest of Cape Lookout, both localities in North Carolina, as it advanced towards the northeast at 24 kph, reports Efe news.

The hurricane has, of late, been sweeping the coast of North Carolina and the tropical storm conditions were rapidly expanding northwards, said the NHC.

As per the forecasts, Dorian could make landfall in the coming hours at the coast of North Carolina before heading away.

Hurricane Dorian has gone from Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale with maximum winds of up to 185 kph, to Category 1.

The storm was yet to make landfall in the US, and had caused no fatalities or major destruction.

However, Dorian wreaked havoc in the northern part of the Bahamas, especially Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, which were hit by the cyclone over the weekend with maximum intensity - category 5 - generating chaos and massive destruction.

According to the latest records of the Bahamian authorities, 30 people died on these islands because of Dorian, and the number is expected to increase.