Miami, Fla. (970 WFLA)-At 5:00 AM EDT, the center of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 26.4 North, longitude 64.1 West. About 410 miles south of Bermuda, about 975 miles east-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Florence is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph. A west-north westward to north-westward motion with a slight increase in forward speed are expected during the next couple of days.
On the forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas through Wednesday, and approach the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina on Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph with higher gusts. Florence is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some strengthening is expected during the next day or so, and Florence is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane through Thursday night.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 944 mb (27.88 inches).
A Storm Surge Watch has been issued for the east coast of the United States from Edisto Beach, South Carolina northward to the North Carolina-Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.
A Hurricane Watch has been issued for the east coast of the United States from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, northward to the North Carolina-Virginia border, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.