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...