Florence Track Shifts Southwest and Slows Down in Wednesday Morning Update

The track of Florence has shifted to the southwest, however forecasters warn that impacts will be felt far from the center, per the Wednesday morning update from the National Weather Service (NWS) Newport / Morehead City Office.   

Maximum winds remain at 130 mph, and Florence is now forecast to make landfall sometime on late Friday, possibly as a major hurricane. Tropical storm force winds could arrive as early as Thursday morning for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

6-9 feet of storm surge is currently forecast from Cape Lookout to Ocracoke Inlet, and 4-6 feet of storm surge is forecast from Ocracoke Inlet to the North Carolina / Virginia border. Maximum rainfall amounts of 15” of rainfall is possible, especially for Ocracoke Island and southern Hatteras Island. The storm total rainfall forecast for Hurricane Florence is now approaching or exceeding the rainfall in September 1999 from Dennis/Floyd, primarily near the southern N.C. coast.

For more information, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather forecast information, or the National Weather Service office in Newport / Morehead City’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.