Hurricane Florence is hurtling toward the US East Coast. It is likely going to strengthen to a Category-5 storm by Thursday. It's expected to hit the Carolinas on Thursday morning then move further inland. Residents have started stockpiling supplies.
- Hurricane Florence is surging toward the US East Coast with a wind speed of 140 mph.
- It is expected to strengthen to a Category-5 storm within the next 36 hours.
- It is currently in the northwest Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda.
- It is expected to hit the Carolinas on Friday morning and move farther inland.
- The National Hurricane Center said it would likely bring devastating storms, rain, and floods.
- North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have declared states of emergency, with residents stockpiling supplies.
- Two other hurricanes are swirling in the Atlantic.
The hurricane closing in on the US East Coast is forecasted to strengthen into a Category-5 storm, the most intense category label on the hurricane assessment scale, within the next 36 hours.
As of 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Hurricane Florence was carrying sustained winds of almost 140 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is currently a Category-4 storm.
A buoy from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration located about 80 nautical miles north of the eye of the storm reported tropical-storm-force winds over several hours on early Tuesday morning, and sea levels as high as 23 feet.
Hurricane Florence is currently located in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, near Bermuda, and southwest of the Carolinas.
The NHC warned on Tuesday that the storm could remain powerful as it passes over the US mainland, and could penetrate as far as Pittsburgh.
The map below shows the probable path of tropical-storm-force winds from Tuesday to Sunday.
Hurricane Florence is forecasted to continue strengthening, though "some fluctuations in intensity are likely," according to the NHC.
The new speed "brings Florence to near Category 5 strength within the next 24 to 36 hours," the NHC added.
Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is used to assess the intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean. It is also used to estimate potential property damage and coastal flooding.
Storms with sustained wind speeds of 157 mph or higher are labeled as Category 5.
Read more: Here are the areas that could get hit by Hurricane Florence
The NHC on Tuesday warned of a "life-threatening storm surge," and "damaging hurricane-force winds" along the coastlines of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
It also "life-threatening freshwater flooding" and "a prolonged and exceptionally heavy rainfall event" could take place in those states and move further inland for hundreds of miles.
The map below shows the probable path of the storm center over the next few days. "Hazardous conditions," such as heavy wind, rainfall, and floods, can take place outside of the projected zone, the NHC said.
Hurricane Florence was poised to make landfall early Friday somewhere around North Carolina and South Carolina. It is expected to slow down as it approaches the coast and continue moving inland.
It could inflict the hardest hurricane on the Carolinas in recent history. North Carolina has only experienced one other Category-4 storm in recent history, in 1954.
The two Carolinas, as well as Virginia, have declared a state of emergency as they make preparations.
About 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. Millions others have been stockpiling supplies such as gas cans, generators, plywood, and sand bags, according to the Associated Press.
Read more: The 16 most destructive hurricanes in US history
President Donald Trump on Monday night approved emergency declarations in the Carolinas, and authorized the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in response efforts.
Two other hurricanes, Isaac and Helene, are also spinning in the Atlantic Ocean. The map below, published early Tuesday morning, shows their approximate locations.