by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:28 AM ET, Wed September 12, 2018
Update: September 12, 2018 at 3:50 p.m. ET
Despite weakening to a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon, meteorologists believe Florence could strengthen to Category 5 by Thursday morning.
According to AccuWeather.com, Hurricane Florence is on a direct path toward the East Coast, but it appears the Carolinas will feel the biggest impact, with millions of people forced to evacuate and billions of dollars worth of damage possible.
ABC News shared an image showcasing the massive size of Florence from space:
The storm is expected to bring high winds, heavy rains and flooding beginning Thursday and continuing through the weekend. Once the storm makes landfall, forecasters believe it will stall over the Carolina coast before slowly turning southwest.
According to FlightAware.com, airlines have already canceled almost 1,000 flights through Friday due to the hurricane. The numbers do not account for the potential delays and cancellations during the weekend.
Original Text
Hurricane Florence may have slowed overnight, delaying its inevitable landfall in the United States, but forecasters believe the storm will now dump even more rain on impacted areas.
According to the National Weather Service, Florence remained a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. The storm was located about 575 miles southeast of North Carolina and is expected to begin impacting the southeast Thursday.
As Hurricane Florence begins making landfall between Georgia and the Carolinas, the friction will result in the storm weakening quickly. While the winds may lessen, the rain totals this weekend could be higher than previously estimated, with North Carolina getting as much as 40 inches.
Meteorologists are warning of possible catastrophic flooding events if that estimate is correct.
To prepare for the impact of Florence, airlines have started issuing travel advisories and are waiving change fees for travelers scheduled to fly to or from areas likely to be hit by the storm.
Some of the airlines making the necessary changes for passengers include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.
Airline customers impacted by Hurricane Florence are being advised to reach out to their carriers to determine the proper course of action over the coming days.
As for travelers scheduled to hit the open seas, Carnival Cruise Line revised itineraries for Carnival Pride and Carnival Horizon; Norwegian Cruise Line changed its plans for Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Escape; and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line modified the sailing of Grandeur of the Seas.
The impact of Hurricane Florence has also forced Amtrak to modify service beginning Wednesday through Sunday. Amtrak is also waiving additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation due to the modified schedules and outright cancellations.
Travel insurance providers have also reported a surge in activity, with Allianz Global Assistance receiving over 750 claims and their customer service center fielding more than 140 calls seeking support before the hurricane hits Thursday.
As always, travelers impacted by the storm are being advised to contact their travel agent.
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