Miami, Fla.(970 WFLA)-At 500 AM EDT, the center of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 24.9 North, longitude 58.9 West, about 625 miles southeast of Bermuda, about 535 miles north-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Florence is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph. A west-northwestward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected during the next couple of days. A turn toward the northwest is forecast to occur Wednesday night or Thursday.
On the forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the southeastern coast of the United States on Thursday.
Satellite imagery indicates that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 105 mph with higher gusts. 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.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from thecenter and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 969 mb (28.62 inches).
Graphic Credit: NHC Miami