Florence Weakens Slightly But Expected To Regain Strength - National Weather Service

Florence Weakens Slightly But Expected to Regain Strength - National Weather Service

Hurricane Florence has slightly weakened on Tuesday but is expected to regain its strength later in the day, the National Weather Service said in its 8:00 a.m. EDT (12:00 p.m. GMT) update.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2018) Hurricane Florence has slightly weakened on Tuesday but is expected to regain its strength later in the day, the National Weather Service said in its 8:00 a.m. EDT (12:00 p.m. GMT) update.

"Reports from an Air Force Reserve Unit hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts," the update said. "Re-strengthening is forecast to occur during the next day or so."

Mandatory evacuations start today for coastal areas of the US states of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

Those states, along with Maryland, have all declared a state of emergency in order to mobilize resources in advance of the storm.

Florence is expected to make landfall somewhere along the southeastern United States, likely near the border between the Carolinas, late Thursday or early Friday.