‘Extremely dangerous’ Hurricane Florence expected to hit Carolinas on Thursday

Another Atlantic hurricane is threatening coastal states. Hurricane Florence is projected to make landfall near North and South Carolina on Thursday night or early Friday morning in what can potentially be the strongest storm to make landfall that far north in U.S. history.

With the storm so far away, the National Hurricane Center has not yet issued any coastal watches or warnings. However, governors in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have declared a state of emergency in preparation for the storm, effectively suspending some Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for those providing directly for relief efforts.

As of Monday afternoon, Sept. 10, Hurricane Florence is a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph approximately 1,200 miles southeast of the Carolinas. The National Hurricane Center predicts Florence will be an “extremely dangerous” major hurricane through Thursday.

On Monday morning, residents and visitors in Dare County, N.C., were issued mandatory evacuation orders as Florence upgraded from a Category 2 storm to a Category 3.

Hurricane evacuation routes for South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia can be found here, here and here, respectively.

The last major hurricane to reach land in South Carolina and North Carolina was Hurricane Hugo in September 1989. Hugo made landfall at Sullivan’s Island, S.C. as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of approximately 140 mph. About 60 people were killed, and the storm caused more than $9 billion in damages.