SOURCES: NOAA, National Hurricane Center, CNN
SOUTHEASTERN COAST, US –
US – Hurricane Florence is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge and rainfall to portion of the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states.
Florence, one of the strongest storms on the Eastern Seaboard in decades, is a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph. It is predicted to deliver tropical-storm-force winds by noon Thursday to North Carolina’s coast, and hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surges by late Thursday or early Friday.
The cumulative damage that the rainfall and winds could have over the coming weekend should not be ignored.
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from the South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina, and Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, including the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Edisto Beach, to South Santee River South Carolina, and north of Duck, North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia state line. A Hurricane Warning is in effect from the South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina and Albemarle and Pamlico Sound. A Hurricane Watch is in effect from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to South Santee River, South Carolina. A Tropical Storm Warning from north of Duck, North Carolina, to the North Carolina/Virginia state line. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from north of the North Carolina/Virginia state line to Cape Charles Light, Virginia, and the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort. Interests elsewhere in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states should monitor the progress of Florence.
Hurricane Florence is centered at 8 a.m. AST about 530 miles (855 km) southeast of Cape Fear, N. Carolina. Florence is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph (28 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue this morning. On the forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas today, and approach the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina in the hurricane warning area on Thursday and Friday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts – a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Strengthening is forecast through tonight. While some weakening is expected on Thursday, Florence is forecast to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is currently investigating the hurricane.
For specific local information, go to the website of the National Weather Service – www.weather.gov.
The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 11 a.m. EDT www.hurricanes.gov
