Hurricane Florence is gaining strength with each passing day and has now become a category 4 Hurricane according to the NY Post. The Hurricane is heading straight towards the Carolinas. Authorities have said that New Jersey seems to be safe as of now, but it could still experience extraordinarily destructive and disruptive winds as Florence moves inwards making landfall and weakening into a tropical storm.
Computer models have predicted the storm will make landfall between Northern regions of South Carolina and North Carolina’s Outer Banks as a Category 4 storm on Thursday.
However the track is liable to change, and the cascade effects could be felt at places far flung from the landfall locations.
According to ABC News, as of the 5 AM Tuesday, the hurricane was around 410 miles south of Bermuda, moving west/northwest at 15 mph.
NOAA Hurricane Hunter Richard Henning is currently flying through Hurricane Florence: “This is a very large, very powerful hurricane… Everything that you’ve been hearing about this storm in terms of its severity is all true…" https://t.co/YOoH04RAHW pic.twitter.com/qVUS0N9AY1
— CNN (@CNN) September 11, 2018
Warnings Issued
Warnings have been issued of an “exceptionally hazardous” triple danger in the Carolinas and Virginia. It includes a surge in ocean water over common and dry land.
It could be accompanied by freshwater flooding due to unusually heavy to very heavy rainfall. The rains will be accompanied with hurricane strength winds.
Strong winds could hit the coastline as early as Wednesday, and all outdoor precautions must be complete. Hazardous winds can hit the shoreline from Thursday to Friday.
More than 1 million people face mandatory evacuation orders as Hurricane Florence -- already packing winds of up to 140 mph -- approaches the US https://t.co/UUw90lptVq pic.twitter.com/UX6UIL7ZAB
— CNN (@CNN) September 11, 2018
Likely to hit Carolina
It is essential to know where the hurricane makes its landfall since the strongest winds and surge of water will be in this region.
So depending on the possibilities the hurricane is 70 percent likely to hit Carolinas, a 10 percent chance of it beating Virginia and New York, 10 percent between northern Florida and Georgia. Even if the hurricane skits and misses landfall, it can cause powerful gusts of wind and heavy rainfall.
Astronauts took this incredible picture of Hurricane Florence from the Space Station https://t.co/9Xi22fpCBG pic.twitter.com/nUohAeUZoX
— TIME (@TIME) September 11, 2018
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster at a press conference on Sunday afternoon said Florence is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane with winds that could reach up to speeds of 150 mph.
If the hurricane makes landfall on the Southeast coast, it will be an event of extraordinary proportions.
Only ten hurricanes have hit the Southeast coast since 1851. The last hurricane which hit this coast was Fran in 1996, almost two decades ago.
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