Dorian continues to pose a threat to the Carolina coast.

Hurricane Dorian weakened to a Category 2 storm on Thursday as it skirted the coasts of the US states of South and North Carolina, US meteorologists said.

At 11:00 am (1500 GMT), Dorian was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kilometers per hour), down from 115 mph (185 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

It said Dorian continues to pose a threat to the Carolina coast.

"Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as the center moves near the coasts of South and North Carolina," it said.