(CNN) More and more, Florence is looking like a storm that may give the US East Coast problems as a potentially major hurricane next week.
Tropical Storm Florence, currently in the Atlantic about 1,500 miles from the coast, is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Sunday, and continue gaining power for days.
And computer models increasingly are showing it could be dangerously close to the United States late Thursday. The window for the storm to miss the US coast and turn harmlessly back to sea is closing, CNN forecasters said.
"It looks like now that (computer model) consensus really kind of puts it between Georgia and North Carolina," though other states along the coast should watch as well, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said Saturday afternoon.
"If you live anywhere along the East Coast, you want to be paying attention, because even if you (aren't at) the main landfall point, you're still likely to have impacts," including heavy rain and rip currents, she said.
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MIAMI — Tropical Storm Florence is becoming a "better organized" weather system and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Saturday evening, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is expected to become a "major hurricane" by Tuesday as it passes between Bermuda and the Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It is expected to approach the southeast U.S. Coast on Thursday.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Friday evening, urging residents to use the weekend to prepare for the possibility of a natural disaster. "We are entering the peak of hurricane season and we know well the unpredictability and power of these storms," he said.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday to prepare for the storm, stressing the declaration is not an order to evacuate.
"It's a beautiful day outside, people playing football, the last thing on people's mind is a hurricane," McMaster said, according to The State newspaper. "Just like they got ready to play these football games today, we're asking people to get ready."
National Hurricane Center
The U.S. Navy is making preparations this weekend for its ships in the Hampton Roads area to leave port to avoid storm damage as the storm approaches. Adm. Christopher Grady said the decision was based on Florence's current track, which indicates the area could see strong sustained winds and storm surges.
Swells generated by Florence could cause dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding Saturday in areas including coastal Delaware and New Jersey, the National Weather Service said.
At 11 a.m. EDT, the Miami-based hurricane center said Florence's maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 65 mph. The storm was centered about 835 miles southeast of Bermuda and moving west at 7 mph.
Gordon remnants to drop heavy rain
A soaking rainstorm, of which Gordon is a part, was expected to raise the risk of flooding in portions of the Ohio and middle Mississippi valleys on Saturday.
Gordon made landfall as a tropical storm on Monday and by the end of the week it was a tropical depression. Flash flood watches were in effect as of Friday night for parts of central Arkansas and Missouri into the Ohio River Valley.
"Gordon and its transition to an extra-tropical low could produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches over Missouri into the Midwest, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches through Monday. This rainfall will likely cause local flooding and flash flooding," the National Hurricane Center said Friday night.
Tropical Storm Helene
Tropical Storm Helene formed off the coast of Africa and the Cabo Verde islands late Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to the Cabo Verde islands by Saturday night.
A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch was in effect for the Cabo Verde islands of Santiago, Fogo, and Brava.
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Florence is becoming a "better organized" weather system and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Saturday evening, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is expected to become a "major hurricane" by Tuesday as it passes between Bermuda and the Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It is expected to approach the southeast U.S. Coast on Thursday.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Friday evening, urging residents to use the weekend to prepare for the possibility of a natural disaster. "We are entering the peak of hurricane season and we know well the unpredictability and power of these storms," he said.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday to prepare for the storm, stressing the declaration is not an order to evacuate.
"It's a beautiful day outside, people playing football, the last thing on people's mind is a hurricane," McMaster said, according to The State newspaper. "Just like they got ready to play these football games today, we're asking people to get ready."
National Hurricane Center
The U.S. Navy is making preparations this weekend for its ships in the Hampton Roads area to leave port to avoid storm damage as the storm approaches. Adm. Christopher Grady said the decision was based on Florence's current track, which indicates the area could see strong sustained winds and storm surges.
Swells generated by Florence could cause dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding Saturday in areas including coastal Delaware and New Jersey, the National Weather Service said.
At 11 a.m. EDT, the Miami-based hurricane center said Florence's maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 65 mph. The storm was centered about 835 miles southeast of Bermuda and moving west at 7 mph.
Gordon remnants to drop heavy rain
A soaking rainstorm, of which Gordon is a part, was expected to raise the risk of flooding in portions of the Ohio and middle Mississippi valleys on Saturday.
Gordon made landfall as a tropical storm on Monday and by the end of the week it was a tropical depression. Flash flood watches were in effect as of Friday night for parts of central Arkansas and Missouri into the Ohio River Valley.
"Gordon and its transition to an extra-tropical low could produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches over Missouri into the Midwest, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches through Monday. This rainfall will likely cause local flooding and flash flooding," the National Hurricane Center said Friday night.
Tropical Storm Helene
Tropical Storm Helene formed off the coast of Africa and the Cabo Verde islands late Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to the Cabo Verde islands by Saturday night.
A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch was in effect for the Cabo Verde islands of Santiago, Fogo, and Brava.
Tropical storm Florence likely to become a hurricane, forecasters say
Tropical storm Florence is becoming a “better organized” weather system that will likely strengthen into a hurricane late on Saturday, weather forecasters said.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm was expected to become a “major hurricane” by Tuesday as it passes between Bermuda and the Bahamas. The storm is expected to approach the south-east US coast on Thursday.
Officials in North Carolina are already bracing for impact. South Carolina governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Saturday, in order to give his state time to prepare for the possible arrival of a hurricane.
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McMaster emphasized that there is no way to know yet when and where the storm will hit land, or when evacuations might be called.
On Friday, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency and urged residents to use the weekend to prepare for the possibility of a natural disaster.
“We are entering the peak of hurricane season and we know well the unpredictability and power of these storms,” Cooper said.
Swells generated by Florence could cause dangerous rip currents and coastal flooding on Saturday in areas including coastal Delaware and New Jersey, the National Weather Service said.
At 11am ET, the Miami-based NHC said Florence’s maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 65mph. The storm was centered about 835 miles south-east of Bermuda and moving west at 7mph.
