***Tornado Watch in effect for Dare County in North Carolina until 7:00 AM.
***A Hurricane Warning from Duck, North Carolina south into South Carolina, including Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.
***Tropical Storm Warning for Hertford, Gates, Pasquotank, Camden, Western Currituck, Bertie, Chowan, Perquimans, Eastern Currituck. North Carolina-Virginia border to Cape Charles Light and Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.
***Storm Surge Warning from Duck, North Carolina south into South Carolina including Albemale and Pamlico Sounds.
***Storm Surge Watch from Duck, North Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia border.
***Coastal Flood Warning in effect until 6 am Sunday for Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, York, Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Gloucester, Middlesex, and Mathews.
Hurricane Florence is close to making landfall in North Carolina as a category 1 hurricane.
Wind, rain, tidal and coastal flooding will all be an issue especially today and tomorrow. We will also be dealing with power outages, especially today.
Florence is expected to weaken as it drifts to the west and southwest into South Carolina later today and Saturday. We will be dealing with the remnants of Florence into next week as it lift northward. Looking a little better on Sunday as high pressure builds in and pushes Florence over inland NC/SC. Expect wind and rain through the weekend. We will continue to see lingering showers and storms to start the work week.
Based on the current forecast track, here is what to expect…
Rain
Most of the area will see 4-6″ of rain over several days (Thursday-Sunday)
Areas close to and south of the Albemarle could see 6-10′
Locally higher totals are possible
Wind
Winds will ramp up today, stay strong through Friday, then slowly relax through the weekend.
Peak winds (sustained at tropical storm force, gusts to near hurricane force)
Hatteras: 55-65 G75+
Nags Head: 40-50 G60+
Elizabeth City: 30-40 G50+
Virginia Beach: 30-40 G50+
Franklin: 25-35 G40+
Williamsburg: 25-35 G40+
Melfa: 25-35 G40+
Storm Surge
Southeast Virginia: 1-3′
Salvo, NC to North Carolina/Virginia Border: 2-4′
Ocracoke Inlet NC to Salvo NC: 4-6′
Cape Lookout NC to Ocracoke Inlet NC: 6-9′
Tornado
A few tornadoes are possible in eastern North Carolina through Friday.
Waves
Swells from Florence will impact a large section of the East Coast and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions
Weather & Health
Pollen: Moderate (Ragweed)
UV Index: 6 (High)
Air Quality: Good (Code Green)
Mosquitoes: Extreme
Tropical Update
Hurricane Florence
Florence close to making landfall in North Carolina.
Florence is moving toward the west-northwest near 6 mph. A turn toward the west at a slow forward speed is expected today,followed by a slow west-southwestward motion tonight and Saturday.On the forecast track, the center of Florence is expected to move inland across extreme southeastern North Carolina and extreme eastern South Carolina today and Saturday. Florence will then move generally northward across the western Carolinas and the central Appalachian Mountains early next week. Maximum sustained winds remain near 90 mph (150 km/h) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast later today and tonight.Significant weakening is expected over the weekend and into early next week while Florence moves farther inland. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195miles. A NOAA observing site at Cape Lookout, North Carolina, recently reported a sustained wind of 72 mph and a gust of 90 mph.
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