Sept. 5 (UPI) — Hurricane Florence strengthened into a major storm Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said, as it made its way northwest toward Bermuda.
The eye of the Category 3 storm was 1,160 miles east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and 1,370 miles east-southeast of Bermuda. It was moving 13 mph toward the northwest and had 125 mph maximum sustained winds, the NHC said in its latest update.
The storm wasn’t near land Wednesday afternoon and no advisories were in place.
The NHC said Florence was expected to continue traveling toward the northwest through Wednesday night.
“A turn toward the west-northwest with a decrease in forward speed is forecast on Thursday, followed by a turn back toward the northwest early next week,” the agency said.
The storm could weaken over the next few days, but remain a “strong hurricane” through early next week.
When Florence was upgraded to Category 3, it became the first “major” hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic season.
