Visible satellite loop of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 11, 2018 as of 4:05 pm ET. Image: NOAA via CIRA/RAMMB
The latest projections predict Hurricane Florence could stall just off the North Carolina coast, dumping feet of rain inland while sustained hurricane force winds complicate rescue and recovery efforts.
The big picture: "North Carolina has been hit by only one other Category 4 storm since reliable record keeping began in the 1850s. That was Hurricane Hazel in 1954," the AP's Emery Dalesio reports.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for the coasts of North and South Carolina, as Hurricane Florence barrels toward the East Coast of the United States.
Hurricane Florence is a nightmare storm for the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic. The reasons stem from the hurricane's power, size, forward speed and the longstanding vulnerability of the area it is forecast to hit. Click here for the latest updates on the storm.
The big picture: There are no historical analogs to compare Florence to. Its forecast track is unprecedented, and its array and magnitude of threats are as well.
Early Monday, Musk's SpaceX launched its 16th rocket of the year. The first stage fell away and landed flawlessly on a drone ship in the Atlantic, reports ArsTechnica's Eric Berger, while the rocket went on to deploy a satellite in orbit (see above).
The big questions: Space is rapidly becoming internationally commercialized by governments and companies, particularly in the U.K., India, China, Russia, Israel and the U.S. But, how will they protect the trillions of dollars in assets going up? What happens if one country or company decides that another's actions or its stuff are a threat, and attacks?
As of 5 p.m. ET, Hurricane Florence had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The official intensity forecast has been raised — now calling for it to peak as a Category 5 storm before weakening slightly as it makes its approach to the coast.
The big picture: Florence poses extraordinary risks for the East Coast, from storm surge flooding at the coasts, to high winds inland and potentially deadly inland flooding. As of 5 pm ET, the National Hurricane Center said the storm's hurricane force wind field had doubled in size in the past 12 hours.
Hurricane Florence, currently a Category 4 storm, is going through an astonishingly rapid intensification process, and could hit anywhere from the Carolinas to the Mid-Atlantic by Thursday or Friday.
Driving the news: As of 5 pm ET, Hurricane Florence had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The official intensity forecast has been raised — now calling for it to peak as a Category 5 storm before weakening slightly as it makes its approach to the coast. All eight of South Carolina's coastal counties will face a mandatory evacuation beginning at noon Tuesday, per The State.
Hurricane Florence is intensifying at an astonishing pace as it takes aim at the East Coast of the United States — and astronaut Ricky Arnold got an incredible view.
The details: Arnold, currently on board the International Space Station, snapped pictures of Florence this morning, as Tropical Storms Isaac and Helene also soon came into his view.
