We are not out of the woods by any stretch, but the official NHS forecast as of 11pm Saturday has Florence making landfall near Wilmington NC Thursday evening. Stay informed and keep checking back
BULLETIN Tropical Storm Florence Advisory Number 40 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL062018 500 AM AST Sun Sep 09 2018
...FLORENCE EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE TODAY...
SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...24.5N 55.8W ABOUT 765 MI...1235 KM SE OF BERMUDA ABOUT 640 MI...1030 KM NE OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...70 MPH...110 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 270 DEGREES AT 6 MPH...9 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...989 MB...29.21 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Florence was located near latitude 24.5 North, longitude 55.8 West. Florence is moving toward the west near 6 mph (9 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today. A west-northwestward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected by Monday, and that motion is forecast to continue through mid-week. On the forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the southeastern U.S. coast on Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Florence is expected to become a hurricane today and rapid intensification is likely to begin by tonight. Florence is forecast to become a major hurricane on Monday.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 km) from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 989 mb (29.21 inches).