Surf in Bermuda and US East Coast: Expect it to be life-threatening

Swells generated by Hurricane Florence are affecting Bermuda and portions of the U.S. East Coast.  These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.  Tourists and local surfers should stay out of the water.

Swells generated by Hurricane Florence are affecting Bermuda and portions of the U.S. East Coast. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.  Tourists and local surfers should stay out of the water.

At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 25.0 North, longitude 60.0 West. Florence is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/h).  A west-northwestward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days.  A turn toward the northwest is forecast to occur late Wednesday night.  On the forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the coast of South Carolina or North Carolina on Thursday.

Satellite data indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts.  Florence is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Further strengthening is anticipated, and Florence is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 962 mb (28.41 inches).

Hurricane Florence is rapidly intensifying on its path toward the East Coast and is now a Category 4 with 130 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said in a special update. Florence is expected to strengthen to 150 mph just before landfall somewhere on the southeast or Mid-Atlantic coast Thursday night.

Computer model forecasts generally project the storm to make landfall between northern South Carolina and North Carolina’s Outer Banks, although shifts in the track are possible, and storm impacts will expand great distances beyond where landfall occurs. Given the uncertainty and time it takes to evacuate, officials in North Carolina have issued mandatory evacuation orders for Dare County and Hatteras Island.

It has become increasingly unlikely that Florence will turn out to sea and spare the Eastern Seaboard from potentially devastating storm surge, flooding and wind. There’s even some indication that the hurricane will slow or stall out over the Mid-Atlantic later this week, which could lead to a disastrous amount of rain.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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