Hurricane Florence is expected to hit the southeastern U.S. as "a large and extremely dangerous hurricane," the National Hurricane Center says, after the storm quickly strengthened on Monday. Florence is predicted to bring "life-threatening impacts" to North Carolina and neighboring states late this week.
Florence is now a Category 4 storm, reaching that status a day earlier than experts had predicted. The hurricane center announced the change in an update, citing data from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that showed Florence was rapidly intensifying, with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph.
Over the next 36 hours, Florence's winds could reach 150 mph, the hurricane center says. The storm is already 500 miles wide — meaning a large area will be at risk when it nears land.
The hurricane's impacts could range from a strong storm surge to flooding from torrential rainfall and hurricane-force winds. Forecasters warn that the predicted track will likely change — but for now, it shows the strong hurricane bearing down on the North Carolina coast, with a potential landfall north of Wilmington.
Once it makes landfall, Florence is predicted to stall and remain over North Carolina for at least 24 hours – increasing the threat of dangerous flooding, NHC director Ken Graham said on Monday. Even in areas far from the coast, he added, parts of North Carolina and Virginia could see rain totals of 10-15 inches over the next seven days.
As of noon ET Monday, Florence was moving at 13 mph, some 575 miles south-southeast of Bermuda the hurricane center said.
https://www.npr.org/2018/09/10/646292160/hurricane-florence-spins-up-into-a-major-storm-heading-for-u-s
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