The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has now upgraded Florence to a major hurricane, with winds of 115 mph. The track remains unchanged from this morning.
Notice the cone reaches into East TN. I’m just not sure that will verify. These systems always curve northward before reaching this far west. With that being said, this is an unusual storm and nothing is off the table.
The NHC’s wording is getting more dire.
"The bottom line is that there is increasing confidence that Florence will be a large and extremely dangerous hurricane, regardless of its exact intensity." As well as these key messages from the NHC
"Key Messages: 1. A life-threatening storm surge is likely along portions of the coastlines of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, and a Storm Surge Watch will likely be issued for some of these areas by Tuesday morning. All interests from South Carolina into the mid-Atlantic region should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place and follow any advice given by local officials. 2. Life-threatening freshwater flooding is likely from a prolonged and exceptionally heavy rainfall event, which may extend inland over the Carolinas and Mid Atlantic for hundreds of miles as Florence is expected to slow down as it approaches the coast and moves inland. 3. Damaging hurricane-force winds are likely along portions of the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina, and a Hurricane Watch will likely be issued by Tuesday morning. Damaging winds could also spread well inland into portions of the Carolinas and Virginia." This is the view from the International Space Station...