Florence To Become 'Major Hurricane' For Southeast: MD Forecast

ANNAPOLIS, MD – By Monday, Florence should be a major hurricane headed toward the East Coast, and residents from Florida to North Carolina are being warned that they could be in the crosshairs. While it's currently a tropical storm, Florence will soon move into warmer waters and strengthen to a Category 3 or higher storm, and it seems more likely to affect a larger swath of the Eastern seaboard, experts at the National Hurricane Center said Saturday. It's still way too early to know how close the storm will come to Maryland and what the impact will be on the state, but forecasters say the East Coast could experience Florence's approach as soon as this weekend.

"The risk for impacts along the East Coast has increased," according to the National Weather Service, which issued a flood watch from 2 a.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday for much of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia.

The National Hurricane Center said Saturday latest predictions show the Southeast U.S. is at risk of being hit by Florence. North and South Carolina are now in the center's "cone of uncertainty," which tries to forecast which areas might be hit.

Forecast models "paint an increasingly grim picture, converging on a track that would have what is currently Tropical Storm Florence making a direct hit as a powerful hurricane somewhere along the Southeast coast," The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang said Saturday.

"Florence is forecast to be a dangerous major hurricane near the southeast U.S. coast by late next week, and the risk of direct impacts continues to increase," the center posted on its website. "However, given the uncertainty in track and intensity forecasts at those time ranges, it's too soon to determine the exact timing, location, and magnitude of those impacts."

The Hurricane Center predicts that Florence will reach Category 4 strength on Tuesday and remain there until Thursday, when it could make landfall. The governors of North Carolina and South Carolina have already declared a state of emergency as the various possible paths for Florence shift to those states.

"The message remains the same: If you have interests along the coast from Georgia up through the Northeast, you need to monitor this storm very closely," WSB meteorologist Brian Monahan in Atlanta said.

Meteorologists said there is a very real chance the Northeastern US, from North Carolina to New England, will be affected. On Saturday, forecasters remained committed to that prediction.

It is "forecast to push close enough to Bermuda and the United States East Coast to have indirect impact and may evolve into a serious direct threat," AccuWeather forecaster Alex Sosnowski said in a release.

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"At this point anything can happen," said Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, NJ.

The latest track from the National Hurricane Center brings Florence into the western Atlantic by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. At that point, there is still uncertainty with the eventual track of Florence.

Florence weakened to a tropical storm not long after becoming a major hurricane, but it is expected to strengthen right back up to a category 3 or higher in the coming days. If it does make landfall on the United States coast, it would happen late next week, the National Hurricane Center says.

See safety and preparedness tips below that you should do before the storm gets closer to the US coast.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Season 2018: Fewer Storms Forecast

Florence is the first storm above category 3 to form this season and has formed as the Atlantic hurricane season reaches its peak. The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang says that a better idea of where Florence could head won't firm up until this weekend. Where the storm tracks will depend on several weather systems, high pressure in the Eastern United States and northern Atlantic Ocean, and a low-pressure trough making its way across the country, CNN says.

Tropical Storm Gordon hit Mississippi Tuesday, with the remnants expected to bring rain to the Northeast by next week.

Hurricane Preparation Tips

• Get Prepared: Take action now to be prepared for hurricane season. As the storm approaches, it is often
• too late to get ready. Make sure you have family evacuation and communications plans, update your
• emergency supply kit, and evaluate your flood insurance needs.
• Complete a family communication plan. Plan how you will assemble your family and loved ones and anticipate where you will go for different situations. Get together with your family and agree on the ways to contact one another in an emergency and identify meeting locations.

• Create or restock your emergency kit. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency, including an all weather radio.

• Check your insurance coverage. Most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover damage or losses from flooding. Review your policy, ensure you're adequately covered and understand exclusions, and contact your agent for any changes.
• Stay Informed. Know where to go for trusted sources of information during a hurricane event. Monitor local news resources for hurricane watches and warnings and follow directions of local officials.

• Determine Your Risk. Find out what types of wind and water hazards are likely in your area. Hurricanes are not just a coastal problem and their effects can reach hundreds of miles inland. Since the U.S. has not been hit by a major hurricane (category 3 or higher) in over a decade, "many people are suffering from hurricane amnesia in the forms of complacency, denial and inexperience."
• Develop an Evacuation Plan. Find out if you live in a storm surge hurricane evacuation zone or if your home is unfit to keep you safe in a hurricane. Speak with family and friends and work out a plan to use their home as an evacuation destination. Be sure to account for pets, since many shelters do not allow them.
• Assemble Disaster Supplies. Supplies are necessary not just for the storm itself, but for the often long and grueling aftermath. Stock up on non-perishable food, water and medicine to support your family for at least a week. Other recommended items are cash and battery-powered radios and flashlights. Since many of us use cell phones, have a solar-powered or hand-crank USB charger.
• Know Your Risk and Plan Ahead for an Evacuation:
• Know how to receive information including recommendations or orders to evacuate.
• If you plan to go to a shelter, notify staff of any special needs you or your family have.
• Do not return to the evacuation area until the evacuation order is lifted.

Get Tech Ready
Technology has made it easier to prepare for emergencies, but it can be unreliable during big storms if you haven't planned to keep your gadgets protected and powered up. Here are some tips to make sure you are tech ready:

Be Informed

Here are basic commands to get started:

• Download the FEMA app. Receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five different locations anywhere in the United States. To search for open shelters (for disaster survivors): text SHELTER and to 43362 (4FEMA).

Make A Social Media Plan

• Use text messages, social media and email to connect with friends and family during emergencies.
  • Mobile networks can become overwhelmed during emergencies, making it difficult to place and receive phone calls. Text messages require less bandwidth, which means they are able to be transmitted more reliably.
  • Social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter can also be an effective way to update family and friends during emergencies. Facebook's Safety Check feature allows users to easily post a status update indicating that they are safe during a time of disaster.
• Register with American Red Cross's Safe & Well site to let family and friends know you're okay.
• Have an emergency charging option for your phone and other mobile devices. Smartphones have become a vital tool to receive emergency alerts and warnings,, so it's important to make sure you can keep them powered up in an emergency.
• At home: Before severe weather, charge all of your electronic devices. If the power goes out, preserve battery power by minimizing device use. Keep a back-up power source on hand to recharge your phone so that you can stay connected even during an extended power outage.
• In your car: Keep a portable phone charger in your vehicle at all times, and consider purchasing a back-up power supply to keep in your vehicle as well.

• Change the settings on your phone to low power mode or place it on airplane mode to conserve energy.
• Store important documents in a secure, password-protected jump drive or in the cloud.
  • Capture electronic versions of important documents such as insurance policies, identification documents, and medical records. Don't forget to include your pet's information.
  • Back-up your computer to protect photos and other personally important electronic documents.
  • Scan old photos to protect them from loss.
  • Keep your contacts updated and synced across all of your channels, including phone, email and social media. This will make it easy to reach out to the right people quickly to get information and supply updates. Consider creating a group listserv of your top contacts.
  • Create a group chat via a texting app or a thread for family/friends/coworkers to communicate quickly during a disaster.

Sign up for Direct Deposit and electronic banking through your financial institution so you can access your payroll funds and make electronic payments wherever you are. Federal benefit recipients can sign up by calling (800) 333-1795 or at GoDirect.org.

Residents readying for a storm can get tips and advice on the federal government's Ready.gov website. To keep up with potential storms during hurricane season, bookmark the National Hurricane Center's website.

For local weather and severe weather alerts, visit the National Weather Service online.

Includes reporting by Patch editors Paul Scicchitano and Adam Nichols.

Lead image by the National Hurricane Center