Hurricane Florence is strengthening rapidly. At 5 am Monday, Florence was located near 24.9 North, 58.9 West, and was moving west-northwest at 9 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were 105 miles per hour. While no watches or warnings are up as of early Monday, Florence is expected to make landfall along the coast of the Carolinas on Thursday or early Friday as a major hurricane.
We’re also closely watching Hurricane Isaac as it moves toward the Lesser Antilles. At 5 am Monday, Isaac was located near 14.7 North, 42.7 West, and was moving west at 13 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were 75 miles per hour. Isaac is expected to move past the islands on Thursday and weaken as it enters a more hostile environment in the eastern Caribbean. Computer models are not in agreement on its longer range track or intensity, so we’ll monitor Isaac — as we would any Cape Verde-type tropical system at the peak of hurricane season.
Elsewhere, Hurricane Helene is expected to strengthen but remain in the open Atlantic. At 5 am Monday, Helene was located near 14.3 North, 28.9 West, and was moving west-northwest at a rapid 17 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were 85 miles per hour.
And finally, a wave in the western Caribbean has a low chance of developing after it moves past the Yucatan and into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico later this week.
