Hurricane Florence's latest projected path is centered on Wilmington, N.C., adding urgency to the state of emergency declared in the Carolinas.
The storm regained its hurricane status Sunday and was expected to be a "dangerous major hurricane" by the time it reaches the coast this week.
"On the forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday, and approach the southeastern U.S. coast on Thursday," according to the National Hurricane Center.
On Sunday morning, the storm had maximum winds of 75 mph, the center said late Sunday morning, meaning that it had regained its hurricane strength.
Florence was expected to continue to gain strength Sunday and Monday.
Florence continues to defy easy prediction, but the latest projection is that it will hit land in the Wilmington area at 2 a.m. Friday, but the Carolinas will feel the storm far before that, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted.
As the storm's possible paths begin to narrow, there is "increasing likelihood that significant to life-threatening impacts will be felt across portions of (North Carolina). Time to prepare is now, time to take action is very soon!" the Raleigh branch of the National Weather Service posted on Twitter afternoon.
The main risks include storm surge flooding at the coast and freshwater flooding from prolonged heavy rain inland in the Carolinas, the weather service wrote in its 11 a.m. briefing.
