Florence could threaten the East Coast as a major hurricane next weekend



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Tropical storm Florence, currently in the Atlantic about 1500 miles offshore, is expected to turn into a hurricane by Sunday, and continue to gain momentum for days.

And computer models are showing more and more that it could be dangerously close to the United States on Thursday night. The window for the storm to miss the US coast and return harmlessly to the sea closes, CNN forecasters said.

"It seems that now, the consensus (computer model) places it somehow between Georgia and North Carolina," said Saturday afternoon the meteorologist Allison Chinchar.

"If you live anywhere along the east coast, you want to be careful because even if you do not like the main landing point, you will still have impacts," including heavy rains and tear currents. I said.

Watch the storm and compare different forecasting models
A forecast cone, created on Saturday noon, shows the likely range of the center of Florence for five days.
North Carolina is already on alert. Governor Roy Cooper on Friday issued a state of emergency and gave up some transportation restrictions so that farmers could harvest and move their crops faster.

Cooper also urged people to learn the escape routes to take and put fuel in their vehicles in case they would be ordered to leave.

"Today's action can avoid losses due to Florence," he said.

Forecast models for the Florence trip starting at 11:15 am (Eastern time) on Saturday.

Why Florence should strengthen

Florence had already been the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic season earlier this week, but the wind shear weakened it by a tropical storm.

On Saturday morning, the center of Florence had sustained maximum winds of 65 mph.

Tropical Storm Florence appears on a Saturday morning satellite image.
But the shear is easing and the storm is approaching the warmer waters – conditions that could allow Florence to become a hurricane by Sunday and a major hurricane – a Category 3 or higher storm – by Tuesday, said the National Hurricane Center.

Florence's first impact on Bermuda and the US East Coast could begin this weekend with big waves, potentially leading to dangerous surf conditions and tear currents.

Two more storms are preparing

Behind Florence are two more storms that the National Hurricane Center is monitoring.

This image, taken around noon ET Saturday, shows Florence and two other storms in the Atlantic.

Nine tropical depression is expected to become a tropical storm on Saturday – and a hurricane early next week – over the tropical eastern Atlantic. On Saturday, it was located more than 1700 miles from the easternmost Caribbean islands.

The hurricane season in the Atlantic will reach its peak on Monday.

Behind her, tropical storm Helen, who is expected to pass near the Cabo Verde Islands off West Africa on Saturday night, and become a hurricane Sunday, said the National Hurricane Center.

The three hurricanes – Florence, Tropical Depression Nine and Helene – arrive just before the hurricane season reaches its peak on Monday. The eight weeks around this date are often prime time for the conditions that fuel the powerful storms.

Haley Brink, Brandon Miller and Judson Jones of CNN contributed to this report.

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