Tropical storm Florence gains "a little" strength and plans to turn into a hurricane, officials say



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As tropical storm Florence heads to the east coast, the storm has become "a little stronger" and is likely to turn into a hurricane by Saturday night, officials said.

At 5 pm update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the agency located the storm southeast of Bermuda and ran westward at 5 mph with maximum winds blowing from 70 mi / h.

Forecasts indicate that Florence could become a major hurricane by next week.

"On the forecast runway, the center of Florence will move Tuesday and Wednesday southwest of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas and will approach the southeastern coast of the United States on Thursday," he said. 'agency. "Florence is expected to become a hurricane tonight, and a rapid intensification is expected to begin on Sunday. Florence could become a major hurricane by Monday. "

Swells in Florence have started to hit parts of the east coast and are also hitting Bermuda, the NHC said, adding that they "may cause potentially deadly surf and tear conditions."

L & # 39; agency on Twitter warned that the states of the east coast, particularly the northern part of Florida and North Carolina, should prepare in advance and monitor the storm.

TROPICAL STORM FLORENCE CALLS TO NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA TO DECLARE EMERGENCY STATES WHERE IT IS APPROACHING TO THE EASTERN COAST

In the face of the storm, the governors of North Carolina and South Carolina declared the state of emergency.

The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, announced the order Friday and also signed a transportation exemption that would allow farmers to harvest and transport their crops faster.

"While it's still too early to know the way of the storm, we know we have to be ready," Cooper said in a press release. "During the harvest, time is running out. The action of today can avoid the losses due to Florence. "

On Saturday, the governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, followed suit.

Describing the storm as "very unpredictable," McMaster said the state would begin to prepare.

"We are preparing for the worst and, of course, we are hoping for the best. Being prepared is always the best strategy, "said McMaster.

Paulina Dedaj, Kathleen Joyce and The Associated Press of Fox News contributed to this report.

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