Hurricane Florence Tracker: Storm Forecast to Move More South

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) provided the latest update on Hurricane Florence at 8 a.m. on Sept. 12, forecasting that the storm could move to the south.

Hurricane warnings were still in effect for the South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina, and also the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.

A hurricane watch was in effect for Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to South Santee River, South Carolina, the agency said.

Respective storm surge warnings and watches are in place for the same areas.

Tropical storm watches have been issued from the Virginia-North Carolina border as well as the Cape Charles Lighthouse. Tropical storm watches were also issued for Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort, Virginia, which includes Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Virginia.

A new forecast released on Sept. 12 shows that Florence may move south of where it was initially projected to go. Now, it appears that the storm will threaten more of South Carolina before heading west into Georgia, parts of Alabama, and Tennessee. Initial forecasts predicted that the storm would hit North Carolina and parts of Virginia.

Hurricane warnings were still in effect for the South Santee River, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina, and also the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. (NHC)

The NHC is estimating that as many as 20 inches of rain could fall in some places along the southern North Carolina coast while bringing in excess of 10 inches of rain in parts of South Carolina. Some forecasting models say that the storm could dump as many as 35 inches of rain in some areas.

The storm is currently around 530 miles southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, and is moving west-northwest at 17 mph. Florence has 130 mph winds, enough to make it a dangerous Category 4 hurricane.

“Interests elsewhere in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states should monitor the progress of Florence,” said the NHC.

The Weather Channel reported that Florence is forecast to move slowly through North and South Carolina and the southeastern United States, bringing heavy rainfall to the area.

“This will likely be the storm of a lifetime for portions of the Carolina coast,” the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, said on Sept. 11.

History of Florence

The storm was first called Tropical Depression Six by the NHC, forming Aug. 31 near the western coast of Africa. It was named Tropical Storm Florence the next day as it moved over the eastern Atlantic.

On Sept. 5, Florence became a Category 4 hurricane after it rapidly intensified.

It became weakened and was deemed a tropical storm before it went through rapid intensification over the weekend.