Tropical Storm Florence is forecast to become a hurricane by Sunday and a major hurricane again by early next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Tropical Storm Florence is forecast to become a hurricane by Sunday and a major hurricane again by early next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At 5 a.m., the center of the system was about 1350 miles southeast of Bermuda and about 720 miles northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands. The storm was moving toward the west near 9 mph and this general motion is expected for the next couple days.
Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts. Gradual restrengthening is forecast over the weekend, and Florence is expected to become a hurricane again by Sunday and a major Hurricane early next week.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center.
A west-northwestward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected by early next week and continue into middle part of next week.
On this forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the warm waters of southwestern Atlantic Ocean through Wednesday.
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
Swells generated by Florence are affecting Bermuda and will reach portions of the U. S. East Coast over the weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Forecasters said it was too soon to tell where the storm would go. Some forecast models showed Florence slamming into land by late next week, while others indicated the storm would curve away from shore.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency on Friday evening, urging residents to use the weekend to prepare for the possibility of a natural disaster.
“We are entering the peak of hurricane season and we know well the unpredictability and power of these storms,” Cooper said.
“The risk of other direct impacts associated with Florence along the U. S. East Coast next week has increased. However, there is still very large uncertainty in model forecasts of Florence’s track beyond day (five), making it too soon to determine the exact location, magnitude, and timing of these impacts,” hurricane specialist Robbie Berg wrote in a forecast advisory.
