The National Hurricane Center’s 11:00 a.m. update on Atlantic Tropical Storm Florence puts the storm about 1,500 miles from the East Coast of the United States, and 835 miles (1,340 kilometers) south-east of Bermuda.
Florence is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Sunday and continue gaining power through the week. The minimum central pressure is 995 MB or 29.39 inches.
At the present time, Florence has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and is moving to the west at 7.0 mph (11 kph).
this general motion is expected to continue during the next couple of days. By the middle of next week, a west-northwestward to northwestward motion with an increase in its forward speed is expected.
11am NHC update has #Florence just off the southeast coastline by Thursday AM as a powerful category 4 with 140mph winds. Overnight models show similar concerning track. Northern FL to NC Outer Banks seems to be favored by models…never hurts to prepare early & hope for a shift. pic.twitter.com/CSP6IRtjIp
— Mike Thomas (@MikeTFox5) September 8, 2018
The center of Florence will move between Bermuda and the Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday before approaching the southeastern U.S. coast on Thursday. The NHC said that rapid intensification is forecast and Florence is expected to become a major hurricane by Tuesday.
On Friday evening, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency, a step that makes resources available for addressing the storm’s effects. Before any wind and rain approaches, Tropical Storm Florence will spark “life threatening” riptides off NC this weekend, experts said, reports Fox News.
Gov. Cooper declares state of emergency ahead of tropical storm:
“It’s still too early to know the storm’s path, (but) we know we have to be prepared” for ncpol ncgov hdFoK184Of— The News & Observer (@newsobserver) September 8, 2018
Fox News is also reporting that along similar lines, South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division was advising coastal residents to start making contingency plans.
Computer models are showing the storm will get “dangerously close to the United States late Thursday.” The window for the storm to miss the US coast and turn harmlessly back to sea is closing, CNN forecasters said.
“The models are … really starting to favor a landfall around the Carolinas,” though states to the north should watch as well, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said Saturday morning. “If you live anywhere in this region (from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic), pay very close attention to this storm.”
