The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) revealed Friday that Hurricane Florence had weakened to a tropical storm, but is expected to strengthen back into a major hurricane by the weekend.
According to Reuters.com, Tropical Storm Florence was around 1,000 miles southeast of Bermuda Friday morning and registering maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour. The NHC expects the island to begin feeling the effects from the storm Friday night.
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Florence originally became the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic season Tuesday, but weakened to a tropical storm from a Category 4 hurricane. Cool water and winds slowed the storm down, but its path toward warmer water is expected to strengthen Florence.
While Accuweather.com is tracking several different potential paths for the storm, the East Coast of the U.S. will feel the impact of Florence regardless.
Meteorologists are hoping the high-pressure area in the current path of the tropical storm weakens, which would send the hurricane north and then northeast away from the East Coast, resulting in an indirect impact on the U.S.
On the other hand, if the high-pressure area in the Atlantic strengthens, the storm could make potential landfall in the U.S. between the Carolinas and southern New England next Wednesday or Thursday.
Travelers planning to visit Bermuda or who have scheduled trips along the East Coast next week should contact their airlines or cruise companies to discuss possible contingency plans.