Hurricane Florence wind speeds have hit 130 miles per hour as the category 4 hurricane approaches the East Coast of the United States and prompts widespread evacuations.
The National Hurricane Center said in an 8 a.m. EST update on Sept. 11, that the maximum sustained winds had reached 130 mph.
The information came from an Air Force Reserve Unit hurricane hunter aircraft, the center said.
The maximum wind speed is actually a decrease from the 140 MPH peak, but the center stated: “Florence is still a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Re-strengthening is forecast to occur during the next day or so, and Florence is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday night.”
Landfall is now projected for Friday, Sept. 14 just after 2 a.m.
Wind Probabilities
The center has also issued wind speed probabilities for selected locations that are either in the projected path of the hurricane or near the projected path.
In South Carolina:
Charleston—Up to 48miles per hour
Myrtle Beach—Up to 92 miles per hour
Little River—Up to 93 miles per hour
North Carolina:
Bald Head Island—Up to 107 miles per hour
Wilmington—Up to 105 miles per hour
Surf City and Cape Hatteras—Up to 108 miles per hour
Morehead City and New River—Up to 114 miles per hour
Elizabeth City—Up to 92 miles per hour
Virginia:
Norfolk—Up to 75 miles per hour
Richmond—Up to 67 miles per hour
Wind probabilities are projected as far north as New York City, which is projected to have minimal wind speed effects.
However, some areas in Maryland and around Washington, D.C. may see increased winds.
Watches in Effect
Multiple warnings have been issued for parts of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
A hurricane watch and a storm surge watch—meaning a possibility of life-threatening water surges—has been issued for the area from Edisto Beach, South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia border; and the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, which includes the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers, in North Carolina.
Evacuation orders have been issued across the Carolinas and Virginia.
