UPDATE: Florence weakens to a Category 2 hurricane
HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) – Hurricane Florence, the first major storm of the Atlantic season, has dropped to a Category 2 storm and further weakening is expected later in the day as it continues to head towards Bermuda, forecasters said.
But they said Bermuda could expect swells with life-threatening surf as early as Friday.
At noon local today, Florence was packing winds of 105 miles per hour (mph), down from a Category 4 storm on Wednesday when winds reached 130 mph.
The storm was 1,660 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 1,115 miles east-southeast of Bermuda and moving northwest neat 10 mph, forecasters said.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said a turn towards the west-northwest and west with a decrease in forward speed is expected through Saturday, adding that Florence may begin to move faster towards the west-northwest over the western Atlantic early next week.
But the NHC said that while further weakening is forecast during the next day or two Florence is expected to remain a hurricane and likely re-intensify over the weekend.
The Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) said Florence’s closest point of approach to the island in the next 72 hours will be 544 miles to the east-southeast at noon on Sunday.
The BWS said the storm was not considered a threat to the island at this time, but predicted it would be a Category 3 storm again on Monday. The Emergency Measures Organisation is monitoring the storm’s track.
“Swells generated by Florence will begin to affect Bermuda on Friday and will reach portions of the US East Coast over the weekend. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the NHC added.
Forecasters are also keeping an eye on two systems behind Florence.
A tropical wave is to due move off the west coast of Africa on Friday while ahead of it a broad and elongated area of low pressure is centred several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo (Cape) Verde Islands. Chances of cyclone formation are 70 per cent in the next 48 hours, the NHC said.
