Carolinians living on or near the Atlantic coast face four life-threatening phenomena as Hurricane Florence bears down: deadly winds, storm surge, extreme flooding, and mudslides from extended rainfall.
But that’s not all. (Fox News)
Hurricane Florence’s potentially devastating winds are generating enormous waves as high as 83 feet as it continues to make its way toward the East Coast and insurers predict it will become the costliest such storm to ever hit the continental U.S.
The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday the massive waves were produced by being trapped along with very strong winds moving in the same direction of the storm’s motion. The center said the waves were measured by satellite.
Wave heights to 83 ft were measured early this morning under the NE quadrant of Hurricane Florence. These enormous waves are produced by being trapped along with very strong winds moving in the same direction the storm’s motion. #HurricaneFlorence https://t.co/26J6Uogt6o pic.twitter.com/mdjGD5yibg
— NHC_TAFB (@NHC_TAFB) September 12, 2018
According to Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean, current forecast puts Florence stalling upon reaching the Carolina coast before making a slight shift south and barreling down South Carolina. She said it will become a “major flooding event.”
The shift south and west will encompass more of South Carolina and western North Carolina. The National Weather Center said Florence will likely be “the storm of a lifetime” for portions of the Carolina coast.
Florence is expected to make landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.