Florence approaches: What you need to know in WNC

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Forecasters say that North and South Carolina could be hit with a powerful hurricane next week as Florence continues to strengthen as it moves toward the mainland.

Currently, our weather team sees wind and power outages as the greatest threat to the WNC area later this week, should Florence continue on its current track.

If there are trees or limbs on your property that could be blown down in strong winds, now is the time to take action. Have generators and an emergency kit ready in the event of a power outage.

The governors of both North and South Carolina have declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Florence making landfall.

On Sunday, SC Governor McMaster said that says winds from Hurricane Florence are expected to be stronger than those of Hurricane Hugo. In 1989, Hugo killed 27 people in South Carolina, left nearly 100,000 homeless, and resulted in $9.47 billion in damage.

The latest National Hurricane Center graphics Sunday afternoon show that tropical-storm-force winds could hit WNC as early as Thursday morning.

Sunday afternoon models also show that the WNC area has a 10-30 percent chance of tropical storm force winds from Florence.

Sunday afternoon data also show that there is a slight to moderate chance of flooding in WNC on Thursday and Friday.

Florence is expected to become a major hurricane by Monday, the National Hurricane Center said, adding that "a rapid intensification" is forecast to begin Sunday.

If current trends continue, impacts could be most severe along the NC/SC coast, with winds and flooding possible inland in WNC, and much greater impacts in central and eastern NC. This could change dramatically if Florence's track shifts.

If you have friends and family in central or eastern NC, now is the time to make sure they are aware of the possibility of severe weather.

Click here to visit the hurricane information page of ReadyNC, North Carolina Emergency Management's information website for natural disaster preparedness and recovery.

View the 2018 SC Hurricane Guide here.

BE PREPARED

• If there are trees or limbs on your property that could be blown down in strong winds, now is the time to take action.
• Winds and power outages are the greatest current threat our weather team expects in WNC. Have generators and an emergency kit ready in the event of a power outage.

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