National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Florence is headed for North Carolina, and is set to make landfall in the Tar Heel State on Friday, September 14. The hurricane has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm, currently raging in the Atlantic Ocean, moving west northwest at 16 miles per hour.
As of 8 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Florence was located approximately 530 miles southeast of North Carolina’s Cape Fear. As the storm heads toward the coast, residents living in Charlotte are wondering when the storm will arrive and what kind of weather they can expect.
Heavy Rain & Wind Is in the Forecast for Charlotte, Beginning on Friday
The National Hurricane Center projects that 6 to 10 inches of rain will fall in the Charlotte area, beginning on Friday. Additionally, the Charlotte area will experience wind-speeds of 50 to 70 miles per hour. The high winds will also be in the area on Friday.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for Charlotte has winds of 24 mph arriving on Thursday. The rain chances rise from 20 percent on Thursday, to 40 percent on Friday, 60 percent on Saturday, and 70 percent on Sunday, as Florence moves inland.
“Impacts from heavy rainfall due to Tropical Cyclone Florence are becoming increasingly likely late this week into early next week. Preparedness measures for flooding rain, landslides in mountainous areas, and gusty winds that could damage trees and power lines should be taken,” the National Weather Service said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
Florence’s Current Track Has Her Moving Southwest After Landfall
As of Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center’s map of Florence’s track changed somewhat drastically. Previously, the storm was expected to head north into Virginia, but now, it appears as though Florence will head more to the south, affecting areas in Georgia after making landfall.
Florence will pass south of Charlotte. However, the outer bands of the storm will still cause some severe weather in the area. Once the storm makes landfall, however, it will slow considerably. For this reason, Charlotte will not experience a major hurricane — only the remnants of one.