The fall hurricane season for the East Coast is upon us …..
There’s an even chance Florence will strike the U.S. East Coast late next week. And there are more storms stacked up behind it.
Florence, which was downgraded overnight to a tropical storm, is expected to strengthen again to a hurricane and has a 50 percent chance of making landfall somewhere from northern Florida to Massachusetts, said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground.
Experts are also tracking two weather patterns off the coast of Africa that have a 90 percent chance of becoming hurricanes Helene and Isaac in the next two days. That could mean three hurricanes traversing the Atlantic simultaneously.
Even if Florence veers away from the Atlantic coast, it will generate “life-threatening surf” in Bermuda later Friday and parts of the East Coast over the weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin at 5 a.m., New York time.
“I’m predicting it to be a hurricane over the weekend and probably a major hurricane early next week,” Masters said…..
Update…
As of 5 p.m. EDT, (9/9/18) Florence was centered about 720 miles (1,160 kilometers) southeast of Bermuda, moving west at 7 mph (11 kmh). Drawing energy from the warm water, it could be a fearsome Category 4 with winds of 130 mph (209 kph) or more by Tuesday, the Miami-based center said.
Forecasters said it is too early to know the exact path the storm will take but warned that it could roll ashore in the Carolinas by Thursday.
Forecasters urged residents from South Carolina to the mid-Atlantic to get ready — and not just for a possible direct blow against the coast. They warned that Florence could slow or stall after coming ashore, with some forecasting models showing it could unload a foot or two of rain in places, causing devastating inland flooding. Forecasters also warned that the threat of a life-threatening storm surge was rising.
“Pretend, assume, presume that a major hurricane is going to hit right smack dab in the middle of South Carolina and is going to go way inshore,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said. The state’s emergency management agency said it is “preparing for the possibility of a large-scale disaster.”…
You have a storm coming at ya Jack….
Take care….
Coast evacuations are ordered for South Carolina
I haven’t decided whether to leave or not.
I’m about 20 miles off the coast so the storm surge isn’t an issue.If the present projections hold the center will cross the coast near Wilmington NC about 170 miles north of here.The southern side of the storm is always the weakest.
Will depend if the projections move more south and how large the wind field expands.
I’ve been through lots of hurricanes,including Hugo,but this appears to be even worse than that was.At any rate have a hotel reservation in Augusta Georgia about a two hour drive from here.
Well just take care Jack…
Yeah be safe Jack.