National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Florence is expected to hit North Carolina on Thursday, September 13, sometime in the afternoon. Tropical Storm force winds could arrive in the area as early as Wednesday evening, just after 8 p.m. local time.
Residents living along the coast of North Carolina are expected to feel the most impact from the storm. Several inches of heavy rain and strong gusty winds are possible from just north of Charleston, South Carolina, to Virginia. The worst of the storm is expected to effect coastal areas of North Carolina. Severe weather is expected in both Wilmington and Jacksonville on Thursday.
Where Is Hurricane Florence Now & How Strong Is the Storm?
Hurricane Florence is currently located in the Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,200 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. The storm, which has been upgraded to a Category 4, is moving west northwest.
Florence is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 storm. A Cat 4 hurricane has wind speeds of 130-156 miles-per-hour, with higher gusts possible.
“Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months,” reads the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The Storm Could Stall Along the Coast of North Carolina
Some forecasts show the storm stalling along the coast of North Carolina.
“As we have seen with hurricanes in most recent years, such as Lane in Hawaii earlier this summer and Harvey last year in Texas, feet of rain can fall when these tropical storms stall. That scenario has a high probability of occurring in North Carolina and Virginia and possibly portions of neighboring states in the Southeast, Appalachians and mid-Atlantic late this week and this coming weekend,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski explained.
READ NEXT: See the Latest GFS Model for Hurricane Florence Here