Hurricane Florence became a Category 2 storm Monday morning as forecasters expect it to hover around the North and South Carolina for an indefinite period, according to local reports.
Once the storm makes landfall, it will “sit over the Carolinas for some time,” North Carolina WSOC meteorologist John Ahrens reported Monday. Both Carolinas declared a state of emergency as Florence continues churning its way toward the East Coast.
“This will likely be a big problem not just Thursday but potentially through the entire weekend,” according to WSOC-TV. “Some computer models keep the storm just offshore though, which would lessen the local impact.”
OK you guys, my intention is not to scare anyone with this message.
But Hurricane #Florence—the storm bound for North Carolina—is going to be about the size of North Carolina when it arrives.
This is what it will look like, according to the latest high-res model prediction: pic.twitter.com/B8vCm3FDi6
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 10, 2018
Hurricane Florence is more than 1,500 miles off the coast and is expected to become a Category 4 by Tuesday, according to WBTV meteorologist Al Conklin. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting “life threatening impacts,” including a steady downpour.
Hurricane Harvey operated in a similar manner after slamming Texas in 2017. It made landfall in Houston on Aug. 25 of that year as a Category 4 hurricane and dumped record-setting amounts of rain. (RELATED: Here’s The Breakdown Of Hurricane Harvey And Irma By The Numbers)
The storm then backed off into the Gulf of Mexico before making its second and final landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 30. Harvey killed nearly 70 people at the outset and caused an estimated damage of $190 billion. At least 51 inches of rain were measured by a gauge outside of Houston, a new record for rainfall brought to a single area by a storm in the U.S.
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