Could Florence Hit the East Coast, Affect the Hudson Valley?

Forecasters have been watching Tropical Storm Florence, which is currently churning in the Atlantic with winds of 65 m.p.h.

Just Wednesday, the tropical storm was a strong Category 4 hurricane. Florence weakened by late Thursday though, and eventually lost it's hurricane status. However, meteorologists are concerned the storm could restrengthen as it moves back into warmer waters. Many believe the storm could back to Category 3 hurricane strength by ealry next week.

The obvious next question is; where is it expected to go?

Florence is currently nearly over 900 miles east-southeast of Bermuda, and is moving west at around 7 m.p.h. Could it hit somewhere on the East Coast? This is where it gets tricky.

Forecasters are saying there's an increasing chance of the storm moving onshore somewhere along the east coast mid to late next week.

The Washington Post says there are currently three scenarios:

• A more southerly course which sees the storm hitting somewhere in the Carolinas and then moving inland.
• A more northerly course that brings Florence up the east coast, very close to the Mid-Atlantic, and Tri-State regions. While this may not bring a direct landfall, it will cause dangerously high swells, plus high winds and flooding rains.
• Storm stays out to sea. Forecasters are saying this may be the least likely scenario.

While a direct hit to New York City and the Hudson Valley is still unlikely, the second scenario could bring high winds and heavy rain inland to our region by late next week. As of late Friday, experts feel the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic are most at risk.

Of course, there's always about a hundred different weather models predicting a hundred different outcomes. No one knows for sure. Nothing may happen. On the other hand, it's always good to keep an eye on stuff like this.

We'll post further details as they develop.