WORLD
Hurricane “Florence” to reach south-eastern U.S. coasts
Baku, September 10, AZERTAC
Hurricane “Florence”, the sixth tropical storm in Atlantic ocean this year, strengthened Sunday night into a powerful Category 1 hurricane and is still expected to rapidly become a major hurricane on Monday.
As of 11 p.m. Sunday, the latest measurement of Hurricane Florence show maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, up from 85 mph earlier in the day. It will become a Category 2 hurricane when maximum sustained wind speeds reach 96 mph.
Forecasters expect it to continue strengthening and eventually become as strong as a Category 4 storm as it approaches the eastern U.S. coast on Wednesday night or Thursday.
"There is an increasing risk of two life-threatening impacts from Florence: storm surge at the coast and freshwater flooding from a prolonged heavy rainfall event inland," a forecaster from the National Hurricane Center said. Also, large swells affecting Bermuda and portions of the U.S. East Coast will continue this week. These swells will result in life-threatening surf and rip currents.
Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency in South Carolina ahead of the storm on Saturday, saying the state was "preparing for the worst and hoping for the best."
“This storm is too powerful and its path is too uncertain to take any chances,” McMaster said. “We are mobilizing the state’s resources to make sure we are prepared, and the people of South Carolina must not hesitate to prepare for the possibility of a hurricane impacting our coast.”