Associated Press

RALEIGH — One of the country’s largest state fairs is delaying its start as the remnants of Hurricane Michael pass through North Carolina.

North Carolina State Fair manager Kent Yelverton said Wednesday the fair won’t open as planned on Thursday. Yelverton says the fair will instead open Friday morning and run for 10 days instead of 11.

State Agriculture Department spokeswoman Andrea Ashby said forecasts of heavy rain and high winds led to the decision.

Michael came ashore in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane. It is expected to pack wind gusts of 35 mph or more and dump several inches of rain in North Carolina.

Ashby said the fairgrounds will remain closed to the general public Thursday, though vendors and others with businesses to run will be admitted.