Exhibiting a tropical storm's propensity for unpredictability, Hurricane Florence is expected to slow as it nears the coast of North Carolina on Sept. 13. Still a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, Florence is projected to linger offshore the next day before making landfall around the North and South Carolina border early Saturday morning.
The prospect of days of pounding waves increase the probability of overwash and erosion along barrier islands, as well as coastal storm surge pressing inland and up estuaries beyond the coastline. The National Weather Service's Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch reported open ocean wave heights as high as 83 ft in Florence's northeast quadrant. According to the agency, these waves are produced by being trapped along with very strong winds moving in the same direction as Florence's westward track.