SPRINGFIELD -- The Effingham Emergency Management Agency will continue monitoring Hurricane Dorian but over the weekend we will be scaling back Emergency Operations Center staffing. Full operations will resume Monday.

As of Friday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center advised:

· Dorian is a Category 3 hurricane and will move northwest over the coming days and continue to strengthen.

· Effingham County could begin receiving winds and rain from Dorian by Monday evening and the seven-day outlook shows Effingham County could receive 4-10 inches of rain next week as Dorian moves north after impacting Florida.

· The most reliable timing for direct impacts to Effingham County is mid to late next week.

· Keep in mind, these forecasts can still change as the storm has slowed forward motion and will increase in strength.