The Latest: Airlines let some passengers change due to storm
Airlines are starting to let passengers change plans that include travel into the possible path of Hurricane Florence.
Hurricane Florence continues to grow in size and strength as it barrels toward the
"The bottom line is that there is high confidence that Florence will be a large and extremely dangerous hurricane, regardless of its exact intensity," the hurricane center said. Florence was a Category 4 storm late afternoon Monday.
At
Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 140 mph (220 kph) as it moved west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
The governor of
Gov.
Hogan says the declaration of emergency is a planning measure to ensure all necessary resources are mobilized in areas of the state with greatest potential need.
He says coastal and low-lying areas are of particular concern, as well as parts of the state that already have received substantial rainfall over the last few days.
The mayor of
Mayor
Stoney urged residents to prepare now by gathering supplies, including nonperishable food, water, flashlights, and batteries. He said the city's emergency operations center will be partially activated Wednesday and fully activated on Thursday.
A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for residents living along the entire
He says storm surge could reach as high as 10 feet (3 meters) and estimates 1 million residents will be leaving the coast. Eastbound lanes of
McMaster has already declared a state of emergency in
Forecasters say the hurricane's strength is expected to fluctuate but it still will be a dangerous storm by the time it reaches the coast of
Gov.
Cooper said he asked President
The governor said residents should prepare for ocean surge, strong winds, and inland flooding. Thousands of law enforcement officers,
State emergency management officials already are considering whether to recommend counties evacuate some homes along the Tar, Lumber and Neuse rivers. High waters from the rivers impacted homes and businesses after Hurricane Matthew in
"When you stall a system like this and it moves real slow, some of that rainfall can extend well away from the center," Graham said. "It's not just the coast."
He warned people living on the coasts and well inland to prepare to lose power, among other storm impacts. "Rain plus winds equals a lot of trees down and power outages that could be for an extended period of time," Graham said.
Elsewhere in the busy tropics, Graham said Hurricane Isaac was expected to lose strength as it reaches the
Florence has become even stronger over the
Forecasters at the
Florence had reached Category 3 strength earlier Monday, but data from hurricane hunter aircraft indicate the storm is quickly getting stronger as it moves over warm
Forecasters say the hurricane's strength is expected to fluctuate but it still will be a dangerous storm by the time it reaches the coast of
As of
The
Some ships will stay behind because they're undergoing maintenance and may be tied down with additional mooring and storm lines.
Meanwhile, naval bases near
Forecasters at the
Gov.
Evacuations of coastal communities began Monday and are expected to continue over the next few days.
Cooper said 200
11:
Officials along in
Gov.
The state's
Hurricane Florence has strengthened into a Category 3 storm with 115 mph (185 kph) maximum-sustained winds as it swirls toward the
Forecasters at the
As of
Far behind Florence is Hurricane Isaac, which had maximum sustained winds at 75 mph (120 kph). Isaac was centered about 1,150 miles (1,855 kilometers) east of the Windward Islands and moving west at 14 mph (22 kph).
The hurricane center says Isaac is a very small hurricane and its intensity could fluctuate as it approaches the
Forecasters said Hurricane Helene was strengthening far from land over the open
The current forecast for Hurricane Florence means the
The state has only been hit by about a dozen Category 3 storms since 1850. The last was Hurricane Fran in 1996, which came ashore near
Forecasters said Monday the storm to come ashore by late Thursday or early Friday. Some computer models show the storm making landfall near
Some computer models predicted
Hurricane Florence is aiming for a region of the
Experts have warned for years of the danger hurricanes pose to a region stretching from
Hurricane Florence appears to be taking aim at the largest
The hurricane's path was still far from certain Monday. The rapidly intensifying storm could strike a direct and dangerous blow anywhere from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic region later this week, possibly as a fearsome category 4.
If the center of the hurricane does come ashore in the
The
Its maximum sustained winds are at 105 mph (165 kmh). Drawing energy from the warm water, the now Category 2 storm could be a fearsome Category 4 with winds of 130 mph (209 kph) or more by Tuesday. Florence is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday.
Hurricane Isaac is holding steady in strength over the
Forecasters say that storm was about 1230 miles (1985 kilometers) east of the Windward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kmh). The storm was moving west at 13 mph (20 kmh).
The
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles (20kilometers) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 kilometers).
A westward motion is forecast to continue through the end of the week, with Isaac expected to move across the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern
Rapidly intensifying Hurricane Florence could strike a direct and dangerous blow anywhere from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic region later this week.
Florence crossed the 74 mph threshold from tropical storm to a hurricane Sunday morning, and by evening its winds were up to 85 mph (140 kph) as the
As of
AIA Offers Tips to Those Preparing for Hurricane Florence
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