MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — The outer bands of wind and rain from a weakened but still deadly Hurricane Florence began lashing North Carolina on Thursday as the monster storm moved in for an extended stay along the Southeastern coast, promising to drench the homes of as many as 10 million people with immense amounts of rain. Florence’s top sustained wind speeds dropped from a high of 140 mph (225 kph) to 110 mph (175 kph) early Thursday . That reduced Florence from a Category 4 to a Category 2 hurricane, but forecasters warned that the widening storm — and its likelihood of lingering around the coast day after day after day — will bring surging ocean water and torrential rain.