Hurricane Florence “Nightmare Scenario” Could Be “Worst Natural Disaster” For Carolinas And Virginia

The latest report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicates that Hurricane Florence is on the verge of becoming a monster storm, which strengthened rapidly overnight as it continued to gain strength over the Atlantic, 625 miles southeast of Bermuda.

Florence had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and was moving west-northwest at nine mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane, the NHC said. An increase in maximum sustained wind speed is expected over the next several days, as government officials from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic on Monday were preparing for a direct hit later this week.

“Rapid strengthening is forecast, and Florence is forecast to become a major hurricane this morning and is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday,” the NHC said.

Over the weekend, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency in anticipation of a direct hit. The declaration allows the state to use the National Guard for preparations and to aid in search and recovery operations in the aftermath. North Carolina and Virginia have taken similar measures.

Chuck Watson, a disaster researcher at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia, told Bloomberg that the northern coast of South Carolina and the Outer Banks of North Carolina are likely to be the areas most impacted by the storm, which could cause $15.32 billion in damage if it stays on its current trajectory.

Watson said the Gulf Stream is driving warm water past Cape Hatteras, which could create a “nightmare scenario” that could lead to as much as $25 billion in damages.

“Somebody is going to suffer devastating damage if this storm continues as it is currently forecast,” Dan Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia, told The State newspaper.

Meteoroglists have said it is still too early to predict Florence’s path exactly but warned that many computer models point to a direct hit in the Carolinas by Thursday.

Hurricane Florence Model Track Guidance

What are meteorologists tweeting?

“The leftward solution from the most reliable ECMWF model for Hurricane Florence is centered just south of SC|NC border. The actual landfall point will matter but large size of storm means coast from Charleston, SC to NC Outer Banks should prepare for hurricane conditions,” said Ryan Maue, meteorologist @weatherdotus.

 “Florence is heading for the Carolinas. Florence will likely be a major hurricane. This is happening folks. If you or anyone you know is in the path of this storm, preparations need to be completely finished by Wednesday,” said Ed Valle, meteorologist Vallee Wx Consulting.

“Hurricane Florence is still on track to make landfall in North Carolina on Thursday as a Category 4 — becoming the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall north of South Carolina,” said meteorologist Eric Holthaus.

As shown above, the spaghetti model projections are unanimously showing the storm will be unusually intense and slow-moving — two attributes that indicate its destructive potential, said Axios. While Florence is a Category 2 storm Monday morning, forecasters expect the storm to rapidly intensify to a Category 4 or possibly even Category 5 hurricane as it moves toward the East Coast.

“This storm will bring a wide array of hazards to the East Coast, and residents of the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic region, including the Washington, D.C., area, are being urged to prepare for a potentially life-threatening event featuring damaging winds that could last for a long duration along with coastal and inland flooding. Florence has the potential to be a large hurricane, with impacts felt hundreds of miles from the landfall location,” said Axios.

Two other hurricanes are in the Atlantic Basin and will need to be closely monitored this week. According to Philip Klotzbach (Colorado State University), as per Meteorologist Paul Dorian Perspecta, Inc., this is the 11th year on record that the Atlantic Ocean has had 3+ hurricanes simultaneously (Other years were 1893, 1926, 1950, 1961, 1967, 1980, 1995, 1998, 2010, and 2017).

Florence could very well be the “worst natural disaster in recorded history for Carolinas and Virginia,” as many Trump supporters hope the storm shifts a tad north into Washington, D.C. and if not drains the swamp, then at least floods it.

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