Florence crossed the 74 mph threshold from tropical storm to hurricane Sunday morning, and by evening its winds were up to 85 mph (140 kmh). As of 5 p.m., it was centred about 720 miles (1,160 kilometres) southeast of Bermuda, moving west at 7 mph (11 kmh). Forecasters urged residents from South Carolina to the mid-Atlantic to get ready — and not just for a direct blow against the coast. “Pretend, assume, presume that a major hurricane is going to hit right smack dab in the middle of South Carolina and is going to go way inshore,” South Carolina Gov. The governors of North and South Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency far ahead of the storm to get ready.

Source: National Post September 09, 2018 13:09 UTC