Hurricane Updates

2022

9/29/2022 12:09 pm Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved across the Florida peninsula causing severe flooding and power outages to millions of residents. It is still expected to produce heavy rain and severe winds over the next few days and is currently entering the Atlantic off Florida's east coast near Orlando.  Forecast models project it to track north and make landfall again in the vicinity of Charleston, SC, on Friday. The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for the entire coast of South Carolina where heavy rainfall and storm surge could cause flash flooding, including along southeastern Georgia. The storm is then predicted to lose momentum as it moves inland across the Carolinas.

9/28/2022 3:43 pm The eye of Hurricane Ian made landfall a little after 3 pm just west of Fort Meyers, FL. Millions of residents are under orders to evacuate as the storm is forecast to produce extreme conditions, including very heavy winds, rain and storm surge.  Over half a million utility customers lost power as the storm moves across Florida's west coast. The storm is tracking toward Orlando and is expected to cross over Florida's east coast and out to the Atlantic where it will likely track north.

9/28/2022 11:39 am Ian has strengthened to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds near 155 miles per hour, making it 2 mph away from becoming a Category 5 storm. It is forecast to make landfall on Florida's west coast near Charlotte County in the early afternoon.  

  11/11/2020 12:26 pm Eta strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane this morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm is 170 miles from Tampa and will likely be close to hurricane force when it is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, just east of Ocala, Thursday night or Friday morning. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Dry Tortugas and Bonita Beach, FL, to Suwannee River, FL. Forecasters are predicting 1 - 3 inches, with the potential of 5 inches in some areas.

10/28/2020 5:20 pm Hurricane Zeta made landfall on the coast of Louisiana about 4 pm as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of approximately 110 mph. Hurricane warnings are in effect from Morgan City, LA, to the Mississippi/Alabama border, including the New Orleans metropolitan area, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. Tropical storm warnings are in effect from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the border between Walton Bay counties in Florida. Storm surge warnings range from the mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Navarre, FL, and Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Pensacola Bay and Mobile Bay.

10/28/2020 11:27 am Hurricane Zeta has strengthened into a hurricane again after passing over the Yucatan Peninsula and entering the Gulf of Mexico. With sustained winds of 90 mph and moving at 17 mph, the storm is forecast to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana this afternoon with dangerous winds and a life-threatening storm surge. Zeta will then move close to the Mississippi coast Wednesday evening and progress across the southeastern and eastern US on Thursday according to National Hurricane Center.

10/26/2020 5:21 pm Hurricane Zeta formed into a hurricane Monday as it headed toward the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Zeta is located about 120 miles southeast of Cozumel. It is moving at 20 mph with maximum winds of 80 mph and will make landfall near Cancun and Cozumel tonight and Tuesday morning. Zeta will weaken over land but then reemerge into the Gulf of Mexico and gain intensity, likely returning to hurricane strength as it moves north. Forecasters predict it will run into strong upper-level winds as it nears the Gulf Coast and weaken before landfall on Wednesday evening. The hurricane is forecast to make landfall between southeast Louisiana and the Alabama Coast, making it the eighth storm this season to hit the Gulf Coast.

10/10/2020 10:30 am Hurricane Delta made landfall Friday evening near Creole, LA. The storm weakened into a tropical depression Saturday morning but the threat of heavy rain continues. It is expected to drop 2-4 inches of rain in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, the Tennessee Valley and the Mid-Atlantic over the weekend, with the possibility of 10 inches in some areas. Isolated minor river and stream flooding may occur.

10/9/2020 9:30 am Hurricane Delta is now a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph and is moving north at 12 mph. As of 8 am, to was located about 160 miles south of Cameron, LA. Delta is expected to make landfall on Friday night on the southwest coast of Louisiana. Hurricane conditions are expected from High Islands, TX, to Morgan City, LA, by Friday afternoon through the evening. The storm is forecast to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain with the potential for 15 inches in southwest and south central Louisiana.

10/7/2020 9:48 am Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday morning between Cancun and Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is currently a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph and is moving across the peninsula at a speed of 17 mph toward the Gulf of Mexico. While the storm will weaken while crossing the peninsula, forecasters expect Delta to strengthen to a Category 3--or possibly a Category 4--hurricane as it crosses the warm waters of the Gulf and approaches the US Coast. Delta will likely approach the US Gulf Coast on Friday. The projected path has shifted away from the Florida Panhandle and is now broadly forecasted for landfall anywhere from the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, as well as southeast Texas.

10/5/2020 4:48 pm Tropical Storm Delta, the 25th storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, is intensifying in the western Caribbean and is expected to be a hurricane as early as tonight. It is currently moving west-northwest at 5 to 10 mph and is expected to continue on that track through Wednesday night, eventually turning north toward the Gulf Coast later in the week. Though it is too early to predict, the potential impact could be anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana on Friday or Saturday, with conditions deteriorating along the coast as early as Thursday. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Gamma formed today with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. It stalled in the Southern Gulf of Mexico Sunday night but is predicted to gain strength and become a hurricane by the time it gets near western Cuba.

9/20/2020 9:15 am As of 8 am Sunday, Tropical Storm Beta was located about 200 miles southeast of Galveston and 290 miles east of Corpus Christi, TX, with sustained winds of 60 mph. It is moving west-northwest at 3 mph. Since the storm is moving so slowly it is expected to produce heavy and sustained rainfall from the middle Texas Coast to southern Louisiana. The NHC issued Storm Surge Warnings for coastal areas of Texas from Port Aransas to High Island, as well as Copano Bay, Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay, and Galveston Bay. The storm is forecasted to make landfall sometime Monday on the coast of Texas and move inland Monday or Monday night.

9/16/2020 10:03 am Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in the vicinity of Gulf Shores, AL, around 4:45 am (CDT) with sustained winds of 105 mph. It has been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and is moving through Alabama and the Florida Panhandle at 3 mph dropping more than 15 inches of rain in some areas, with up to 35 inches possible. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for large portions of the coast from Mississippi to Florida.

9/15/2020 9:58 am Hurricane Sally, a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, is moving over the Gulf of Mexico toward coastal Mississippi at 2 mph. The slow moving storm is a "potentially historic rainfall event," according to the National Hurricane Director Ken Graham. Because it is so slow-moving, it may not make landfall until late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, causing life-threatening storm surge from the Mississippi coast to Mobile, AL, and up to 7 feet along the rest of coastal Alabama. There is a possibility for 10 to 30 inches of rain in southeastern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

9/14/2020 8:26 am Tropical Storm Sally is approximately 120 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 125 miles from the center, primarily to the east. Sally is moving west-northwest at 9 mph threatening 8-24 inches of rain and flash flooding across the Gulf Coast from Florida's Panhandle to southeast Louisiana later the week. The storm is forecasted to become a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph before making landfall in the vicinity of southeast Louisiana on Tuesday.

9/13/2020 11:24 am At 8 am Sunday Tropical Storm Sally was approximately 155 miles west of Port Charlotte, FL, heading west northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The forecast calls for strengthening to hurricane force on Monday with further strengthening possible on Tuesday, perhaps becoming a Category 2 storm. Sally will move over the Gulf of Mexico tonight and tomorrow and approach the north-central Golf Coast on late Monday or Tuesday. A Storm Surge Warning has been posted from Port Fourchon, LA, to the Mississippi/Alabama border and the southeastern region of Louisiana, including Lake Pontchartrain. A Hurricane Warning has been issued for New Orleans as well as Grand Isle, LA, to Ocean Springs, MS.

8/27/2020 10:48 am Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 storm at 1 a.m.(CDT), slamming into Louisiana with 150 mph winds near Cameron, about 35 miles east of the Texas border. The storm has since been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of more than 100 mph as it heads northward. Heavy rains are predicted across the west-central Gulf Coast, leading to potential flash flooding with 5 to 10 inches falling, maxing at 18 inches in some areas.

8/26/2020 2:42 pm Hurricane Laura strengthened into a Category 4 storm this afternoon with 140 mph winds and a potential storm surge of 20 feet that will batter the coast of eastern Texas and Louisiana. The storm, as of 1 pm CDT, was 200 miles south-southeast of Lake Charles, LA, and 200 miles southeast of Galveston, TX, and is moving northwest at 16 mph. It is expected to make landfall on Wednesday night or Thursday morning near the Texas-Louisiana border.

8/25/2020 10:55 am Tropical Storm Marco made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi yesterday around 6 pm Central Time. Its winds subsided as it approached southern Louisiana and is no longer a tropical storm. Hurricane Laura strengthened into a Category 1 storm this morning and is headed toward the Louisiana coast. It has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The center of the storm is currently located located 625 miles from Lake Charles, Louisiana and is moving at 17 mph. Forecasts suggest that Laura, gathering energy from the warm Gulf waters, could become a Category 3 hurricane (with maximum sustained winds greater than 111 mph and gusts up to 140 mph). It is predicted to make landfall at the Upper Texas and/or Southwest Louisiana coasts late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning. Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana has compared Laura to Hurricane Rita which struck the coast in 2005 causing devastating damage. Officials on the Louisiana coast have ordered evacuations down to the Texas coast.

8/23/2020 6:08 pm Hurricane Marco has strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast on Monday. The Hurricane Center issued a storm surge warning for coastal cities from Morgan City, LA, to Ocean Springs, MS. Storm surges are expected to reach 4-6 feet for Biloxi, MS, and Grand Isle, LA. Tropical Storm Laura is expected to become a hurricane before it hits the US (probably near the Louisiana coast) on Wednesday or early Thursday.

8/23/2020 11:49 am There are currently 2 tropical storms in the Atlantic potentially heading for landfall on the US coast this coming week. Tropical Storm Marco is now over the Gulf of Mexico and could hit Louisiana on Monday. Tropical Storm Laura is now over the island of Hispanioala (made up of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean and is on track to hit the same part of the US, also as a hurricane, later in the week. It would be the first time two hurricanes appeared in the Gulf at the same time since hurricanes have been recorded starting in the early 1900s.  

8/4/2020 11:37 am Tropical Storm Isaias made landfall at the North/South Carolina border on Monday night and is now heading up through the Mid-Atantic on Tuesday and the Northeast late Tuesday into Wednesday. Hitting the shore with up to 90 mph wind gusts and causing high storm surges at Myrtle Beach, the storm is expected to generate a surge of one to three feet from Virginia to New England, as well as potential tornado activity, heavy rain, downed trees and power outages. Tropical storm warnings have been issued from the Outer Banks to Coastal Maine. A tornado watch stretches from the Del Marva Peninsula, eastern Maryland and southern New Jersey until noon on Tuesday and until 4 pm in eastern Pennsylvania, the rest of New Jersey, southern New York and southern Connecticut.

8/3/2020 7:27 am Tropical Storm Isaias is predicted to strengthen to hurricane force before it reaches the Carolinas Monday night. Parts of South Carolina and North Carolina have been issued hurricane warnings. Coastal communities in the Carolinas are bracing for winds up to 70 mph, storm surges, high surf, heavy rain, flash flooding and the possibility of tornadoes. A tropical storm warning has been issued to states as far north as Rhode Island.

7/27/2020 4:30 pm Hurricane Hanna, the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, is currently off the Texas coast 50 miles from Baffin Baffin moving west-southwest at 8 miles per hour. The storm is expected to make landfall south of Baffin Bay near Kingsville between 4 and 8 pm CDT. Hanna has already knocked out power to nearly 20,000 customers in 4 counties. Forecasters predict 6 to 12 inches of rain with possible totals of 18 inches in some areas of South Texas. 7/10/2020 12:30 pm Tropical Storm Fay is the 6th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season. It formed off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC, yesterday. Fay has sustained winds of 45 mph and is moving north at 7 mph. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for coastal New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.  The storm is expected to bring heavy rain to New Jersey and New York City on Friday and move inland  toward New England Friday night and Saturday.  

6/7/2020 10:32 pm Tropical Storm Cristobal made landfall at 5 pm between the Mississippi River and Grand Isle and is moving north at 7 mph with 50 mph winds. Heavy rain will continue Sunday evening into Monday and will continue northward affecting New Orleans, and central Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

6/7/2020 12:21 pm Tropical Storm Cristobal, the third named tropical system in the Atlantic Basin in 2020, is predicted to make landfall Sunday late afternoon/early evening in Southeastern Louisiana from Marsh Island to Slidell. Cristobal's maximum sustained winds are 50 mph and it is moving north at 12 mph. The storm could bring heavy rains and storm surge. Tropical storm warnings are posted for the Louisiana coastline, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of the Florida Panhandle.             2019

Dorian 9/6/2019 10:16 am  Dorian, currently a category 1 storm with sustained winds of 90 mph, made landfall this morning at Cape Hatteras, NC, at approximately 9 a.m. It is now continuing up the Atlantic coast with tropical force winds (over 39 mph) blowing up to 220 miles from the center of storm, potentially causing a wide swath of damage and flooding as it heads north.

9/5/2019 9:09 am  Hurricane Dorian has been upgraded to a category 3 storm with sustained winds up to 155 mph. At 8 a.m. it was 70 miles off Charleston moving closer to the shore with the potential to make landfall late today anywhere between Myrtle Beach, SC, to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Street flooding is being reported in Charleston and meteorologists warn that up to 15 inches of rain could fall with a potential storm surge of 4 to 7 feet. Tornado watches are also in effect in the Carolinas and there have been reports of funnel clouds forming in the area. More than 220,000 homes and business have lost power in Georgia and the Carolinas.

9/4/2019 5:13 am  Dorian is moving up the southeast coast with sustained winds of 105 mph and is centered about 180 miles south of Charleston, SC. Charleston could face major flooding with a storm surge that could reach more than 10 feet at Charleston Harbor. The governor, Henry McMaster, of South Carolina told residents that they need to leave the state's evacuation zones which run up and down the coast. He warned that once the wind hits 40 mph they will not be able to send in rescue crews.

9/3/2019 9:16 am  As of 5 a.m. today, Hurricane Dorian is a category 3 storm sitting over the Bahamas. It currently has sustained winds of 120 mph and is moving at a snail's pace of 1 mph. Forecasters predict it will move in a slow north-northwestern path over the ocean today and approach the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday. Gradual weakening is forecast though experts warn that if Dorian gets over the warmer water of the Gulf Stream it could strengthen again. Tropical storm conditions are predicted along the northeastern Florida and Georgia coasts on Wednesday.

9/2/2019 10:44 am  The National Hurricane Center reported that Dorian slammed into the Bahamas overnight with 160 mph sustained winds. The storm is moving extremely slowly (currently 1 mph) creating massive flooding and extreme storm surges in some areas as high as 20 feet above normal. As of 10 a.m. today, Dorian was 30 miles east of Freeport in the Bahamas and 115 miles east of West Palm Beach. The models still show Dorian staying just off the eastern US coast as it heads north. However, evacuations have been ordered for areas in Florida and will be issued later today for the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. Even if the storm stays of the coast it will still cause potentially serious damage due to high winds, heavy rain and catastrophic storm surges.

9/1/2019 02:39 pm  Dorian has been upgraded to a category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts over 220 mph. At 2 pm the storm made landfall at Elbow Cay and was moving 7 mph over Great Abaco and is expected to reach Grand Bahama late Sunday or early Monday. By late Monday or early Tuesday the storm could be near the Florida Coast. It is expected to move northward parallel to the coast and may not make landfall but will cause strong winds, heavy rains, and storm surge which could potentially do heavy damage in Florida, Georgia and South and North Carolina. On Sunday, the National Hurricane Center posted a hurricane watch from Deerfield Beach to the Brevard-Volusia county line, expecting hurricane force winds there within 48 hours.

8/31/2019 09:37 am  Dorian has become a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph and is moving toward the northern Bahamas. The predicted track of the storm has changed, taking a sharp right after passing the Bahamas and possibly moving up the coast without making landfall in Florida. Though the forecast for landfall has changed, Florida's east coast from Fort Lauderdale to Cape Canaveral are still within the three-day cone of uncertainty, according to the Orlando Sentinal. Most models are currently showing the storm headed for landfall near the South Carolina and Georgia border.

8/30/2019 09:25 am 8 am this morning Hurricane Dorian had maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour and was located 260 miles east-northeast of the Southern Bahamas.  It is now a category 2 storm with hurricane force winds extending outward up to 25 miles from its center and tropical storm force winds extending out 105 miles. It is expected to intensify to a category 3 storm later today with winds over 115 mph. The storm path indicates it will make landfall north of West Palm Beach early Tuesday as a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 130 - 160 mph. The storm is expected to move inland toward central Florida to reach just south of Kissimmee Wednesday morning as a category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph. The National Hurricane center warned that because the storm is still days away its path might change. Because it is slow moving there is expected to greater impact from wind and rain, including extensive flooding and storm surge.

8/29/2019 08:17 am Dorian became a category 1 hurricane on Wednesday just before hitting the U.S. Virgin Islands. As of 5 am today, Dorian was approximately 150 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico and headed northwest at 13 mph. The storm's sustained winds increased to 85 mph. The National Hurricane Center said that Dorian should move over the Atlantic east of the southeastern central Bahamas today and Friday and approach the northwestern Bahamas on Saturday. Floridians are bracing for a possible category 3 storm by the time it reaches the east coast of Florida. While forecasters are confident in their tracking for the next 48-hours, it's still too early to predict where Dorian will make landfall in the US. The current forecasts predict that it will hit Florida  anywhere from its most southern tip to its northern border with Georgia, with most models leaning toward southern Florida. Barry 7/13/2019 02:02 pm Barry strengthened from a tropical storm to a category 1 hurricane Saturday morning before weakening slightly back to a tropical storm. It is expected to make landfall during the day, bringing strong winds and drenching rains that could cause flooding over a wide region going into next week. Barry is moving so slowly, it "poses a significant flooding threat," the National Weather Service said. Due to its slow speed the area could see between 10 to 20 inches of rainfall. The Comite River in Baton Rouge is expected to crest above a record set in floods in 2016 that caused between $10 billion to $15 billion in damage and left 13 people dead.

7/11/2019 10:04 pm Tropical Storm Barry is predicted to make landfall, potentially as a hurricane, Saturday morning on the Louisiana coast west of New Orleans. As of late this afternoon it had sustained winds up to 40 mph which may increase to 70+ mph when it hits the coast. Officials ordered some Louisiana residents to evacuate and others to prepare for a storm that will bring heavy rainfall, strong winds and dangerous storm surges. 7/10/2019 10:24 pm The disturbance in the Gulf is predicted to escalate into a tropical depression  on Thursday, a tropical storm on Thursday night, and a hurricane on Friday, which would make it the first hurricane of the 2019 hurricane season. The path is still yet undetermined but the track ranges from Houston to New Orleans, with the most likely path predicted to be the Louisiana coastline.  Though there are currently many uncertainties with regard its path, there is a high likelihood it will bring dangerous storm surges,  heavy rains and strong winds to the Central Gulf Coast. Current forecasts predict the storm will make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane which is the least intense category of hurricane, with wind strength and gusts blowing at 74 to 95 mph.       2018 Hurricane Michael 10/11/2018. 8:00 am: Hurricane Michael made landfall northwest of Mexico Beach, FL at approximately 1:30 as a category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds, making it the third strongest storm ever to hit the US. It cut a swath through the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia with power outages affecting nearly 700,000 customers. The storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm and is currently centered 40 miles west of Columbia, SC, with sustained winds of 50 mph. It will continue to move across South Carolina then into central and eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia later this afternoon or evening. Michael is forecasted to head into the Atlantic late tonight or Friday morning.

10/10/2018. 9:30 am: Hurricane Michael has strengthened to a Category 4 with sustained winds of 145 mph and is 80 miles south-southwest of Panama City. The storm is moving at 13 mph and expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon and then head northeast across Georgia and North and South Carolina before moving off the Atlantic Coast on Friday. Storm surges could reach 13 feet and affected areas could receive four to eight inches of rain with some getting as much as a foot.

10/9/2018. 8:26 am: The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Hurricane Michael to a Category 2 hurricane as of 8 am Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. The storm is forecast to make landfall over the Panhandle on Wednesday, possibly as a Category 3 storm, at a location anywhere from Destin to Apalachee Bay. Governor Rich Scott has declared a state of emergency in 35 counties.

10/8/2018. 9:00 am: Hurricane Watches have been posted along the Northeast Florida Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Michael intensified Sunday with winds up to 70 mph. The watches include Penascola, Panama City and Tallahassee.  In addition, Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for 26 counties. The storm was located 90 miles east of Cozumel as of 5 am EDT Monday morning. The National Hurricane Center is expecting Michael to achieve Category 2 strength by landfall, which is forecast for Wednesday night/Thursday between the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend of Florida. Heavy storm surge flooding, rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches and winds of 74+ mph are expected. Hurricane Florence 9/15/2018. 12:45 pm: At 11 am today, Saturday, the center of the storm was 40 miles west of Myrtle Beach, SC, and moving west at a speed of 2 mph. Florence has been downgraded to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 45 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, potential rains of 30+ inches could trigger catastrophic flooding into next week. Florence is expected to turn northwest, then northward through the Ohio Valley by Monday.

9/14/2018. 8:25 am: Florence, now a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 90 mph and dumping 3 inches of ran an hour, made landfall at 7:15 am this morning near Wrightsville Beach, NC. Forecasters predict "catastrophic" flooding along the Carolinas due to the slow movement of the storm, with up to 40 inches falling in some areas along the Carolina coast.

9/13/2018. 9:30 am: Hurricane Florence has weakened to a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph and, as 8 am this morning, was 170 miles east-south-east of Wilmington, NC, and 220 miles east-southeast of Myrtle Beach, SC. The storm will approach the North and South Carolina coasts late Thursday or Friday but, because of potential slowing, exact timing for landfall is not certain. Though Florence has weakened, storm surges will be high, up to 13 feet, and as much as 40 inches of rain could fall. A tornado watch has issued through early Thursday evening as the storm approaches the coast.

9/12/2018. 9:45 am: Florence is a now a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph. At 8 a.m. Wednesday it was located 530 miles southeast of Cape Fear, NC. It is now forecast to pause off the North Carolina coast late this week and then take a southward turn late Friday to make landfall on Saturday, potentially putting South Carolina in greater peril. Due to the predicted slowdown of the storm, North Carolina could see as much as 40 inches of rain, together with a life-threatening storm surge and catastrophic winds.

9/11/2018. 9:50 pm: With winds reaching 130 mph, Hurricane Florence is currently a Category 4 storm located 950 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear, NC. It is expected to strengthen today to near Category 5 strength with winds at 150 to 155 mph before it hits the South or North Carolina coast Thursday night. Meteorologists are predicting heavy rain and flooding, with up to 30 inches of rain over the Carolinas and Virginia and storm surges potentially reaching 12 feet.

9/10/2018. 11:30 am: Hurricane Florence has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm (winds 96-129 mph) by the National Weather Service. Florence was approximately 625 miles southeast of Bermuda as of Monday 5 am  and now has current sustained winds at 115 mph with gusts up to 140 mph. The storm is forecasted to hit the North or South Carolina shore Thursday night or Friday morning. The Weather Service predicts a storm surge on the coast with swells up to 15 feet high with prolonged and heavy rainfall causing inland flooding and extensive damage due to hurricane-force winds. The storm is predicted to stall when it impacts land and could dump up to 20 inches of rain in some areas.

9/8/2018. 2:55 pm: Hurricane Florence is currently about 1500 miles from the East Coast of the US and is expected to become a major hurricane by late next week.  The risk of direct impact continues to increase and, though it's too early to forecast, the brunt of the storm is predicted to affect areas between northern Florida and North Carolina on Wednesday or Thursday, according to the the National Hurricane Center.

9/6/2018. 11:30 am: Hurricane Florence intensified Wednesday to a Category 4 Hurricane. It has since weakened back to a Category 2 with winds of 105 mph and is currently 1900 miles from the east coast of the United States. Forecasters say it is too soon to tell whether it will hit the US but potential impact would be within 6 or 7 days. Historically, storms on this track have never reached the States, though residents along the east coast should monitor the situation carefully. Even without directly impacting the US, Florence could result in heavy rains, high winds, dangerous surf and coastal flooding.

9/5/2018. 10:15 pm: Hurricane Florence has become the first major hurricane of the 2018 season with sustained winds of 120 mph. Currently tracking close to Bermuda, the storm will move in a west to northwest direction across the waters of the eastern Atlantic. Its path is still open to a number of scenarios but should be monitored by hurricane prone areas on the east coast.

9/5/2018. 10:00 am: Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall just west of the Mississippi and Alabama border after 10 pm local time with winds of 70 mph. The storm has weakened and is now a tropical depression with winds falling to 50 mph but is expected to slow down and dump up to a foot of rain from Florida's western panhandle to southern Arkansas.

9/4/2018. 10:17 pm: Current maximum winds of 65 mph. Following watches and warnings are in effect:
  • Storm Surge Warning in effect for Shell Beach to Dauphin Island
  • Storm Surge Watch in effect for West of Shell Beach to the mouth of the Mississippi River and east of Dauphin Island to Navarre
  • Hurricane Warning in effect for Mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama-Florida Border
  • A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for West of the Mouth of the Pearl River to Grand Isle, including lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepa and Alabama-Florida Border to Okaloosa-Walton County Line

9/4/2018. 5 pm: Tropical Storm Gordon is nearing the Gulf Coast, bearing down for landfall around 8 pm EST with winds of 75 mph.  States of Emergency have been prompted in Mississippi, Louisiana and parts of Alabama. Gusty winds, heavy rain and potential flooding is expected.