Hurricane Florence has now been categorized as a level 3 storm as it begins to bear down on Bermuda.
The news was shared by AP who also noted that Florence’s winds have reached a speed of around 120 mph.
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The outlet later noted that this makes Florence the first major hurricane of the season.
BREAKING: Forecasters: Florence is now a major hurricane, category 3 with 120 mph winds, moving in the Atlantic toward Bermuda.
โ The Associated Press (@AP) September 5, 2018
There are some projections that suggest Florence could hit the eastern seaboard by the end of next week, but that is unconfirmed at this time. There are other reports that suggest it may shift and die while out at sea.
Overnight model guidance has taken a big a westward shift in track of Hurricane #Florence with higher intensity (Major Hurricane potential). This is still a highly uncertain forecast with high model volatility. But odds are rising now for a significant East coast impact 9/13-9/15 pic.twitter.com/ofNuyauwEm
โ Michael Ventrice (@MJVentrice) September 5, 2018
CBS News has reported that weather forecasters from the National Hurricane Center in Miami have warned that “some weakening is possible during the next few days, but Florence is expected to remain a strong hurricane through early next week.”
Hurricane #Florence Update: #Florence becomes the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. //t.co/ACR1Bdni2v pic.twitter.com/IwxHsBJ1A9
โ National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 5, 2018
While Florence is certainly a concern that needs to be watched, USA Today reports that there are still two other potential storms on the horizon that could should also be monitored closely.
The next two storms would be named Helene and Isaac, with a Tropical Storm Helene seeming very possible in the next few days.
Quite possible this weekend that we will have 3 active Atlantic tropical storms … Florence, Helene, and Isaac.
The “I” storm would be 9th storm of the season … and the last two could really pile up the ACE. #HurricaneSeason pic.twitter.com/Ev8gBbGE3O
โ Ryan Maue | weathermodels.com (@RyanMaue) September 3, 2018
At this time though, Florence is the priority, with Newsweek sharing another update from the NHC suggesting that the storm is constantly shifting.
“The ECMWF model track forecast has shifted significantly toward the left this evening, closer to the other global models and their ensemble means, indicating less steering influence from the predicted growing weakness in the subtropical ridge,” the NHC advisory read.
Residents in the eastern parts of the U.S. should continue to follow news outlets for updates on how Hurricane Florence could impact their states.