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Portions of the Carolinas now under storm surge, hurricane watches ahead of Florence

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The National Hurricane Center provided a complete undated forecast for Hurricane Florence at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

  • As of 11 a.m., the eye of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 26.7 North and longitude 65.3 West, moving west-northwest at 16 mph. It is about 390 miles off the coast of Bermuda and 905 miles from Cape Fear, North Carolina.

  • Storm surge and hurricane watches remain in effect for parts of the U.S. east coast, from Edisto Beach, South Carolina northward to the North Carolina-Virginia border. Those watches have not been extended to include other areas as of now.

  • Hurricane Florence is still forecasted to approach the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina Thursday and Friday.

  • Maximum sustained winds have decreased to 130 mph with higher gusts. Florence is still a category 4 hurricane, and both re-strengthening and additional strengthening are expected to occur over the next day.

  • Weakening is expected to occur again Thursday, but Florence is still projected to be a major hurricane.

  • Hurricane force winds currently extend up to 40 miles from the center of the storm, with tropical-storm-force winds extending 150 miles out.

  • Florence is expected to produce 15 to 20 inches of accumulated rainfall, with isolated areas of up to 30 inches, in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

A storm surge watch means there is a possibility rising water could move inland from the coastline, creating life-threatening conditions. This watch remains in effect for at least the next 48 hours.

A hurricane watch is generally issued 48 before the first tropical-storm-force winds are anticipated. It signals to residents that it is time to make outside preparations before doing so becomes dangerous.

 

Complete Hurricane Florence Coverage

Ashley Coker Prince

Ashley is interested in everything that moves, especially trucks and planes. She works with clients to develop sponsored content that tells a story. She worked as reporter and editor at FreightWaves before taking on her current role as Senior Content Marketing Writer. Ashley spends her free time at the dog park with her beagle, Ruth, or scouring the internet for last minute flight deals.