The Donald Trump rally was planned for Friday in Jackson, Mississippi, which is now squarely in Hurricane Florence’s sights.
Mr Trump’s campaign organisation confirmed the cancellation today after Hurricane Florence strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the system is currently located ] 1,230 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear in North Carolina.
They said it was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour.
The centre of Florence is forecast to approach the coast of North or South Carolina in the United States on Thursday, the Miami-based weather forecaster added.
The advance of Hurricane Florence caused coastal North Carolina officials to call for mandatory evacuations on the Outer Banks barrier islands starting at midday Monday.
All of Hatteras Island was under mandatory evacuation orders and other parts of the Outer Banks will have to evacuate by 7 m tomorrow, Dare County Emergency Management said in a statement.
Storm-force winds could begin buffeting the Carolina coast by Wednesday night, forecasters said.
“Make your plans now,” South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster urged residents during a news conference on Sunday.
“Presume that a major hurricane is going to hit right smack dab in the middle of South Carolina.”
McMaster said he had asked President Donald Trump to declare a federal emergency in South Carolina in anticipation of the storm’s arrival.
Residents as far north as Virginia were warned that Florence posed an increasing risk of generating a life-threatening coastal storm surge, as well as flooding from heavy rainfall should the slow-moving storm stall over the southeast.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper also urged his state’s residents to get ready, noting the storm already was generating swelling waves and dangerous currents along the coast.
“Everyone in North Carolina needs to keep a close eye on Florence and take steps now to get ready for impacts later this week,” Cooper said in a statement on Sunday.
The governors of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency.