Category 4 Hurricane Florence Spins Toward the Carolinas

Stall off coast expected to bring historic rainfall and floods

Wednesday, 12 September 2018 11:30:00 -05:00

ContactRelief Recommendations for Contact Centers

ContactRelief is making public recommendations first made to subscribers on Wednesday, September 12th, 2018. ContactRelief recommends suspending contact with (or continuing suspension of contact with):

  • Parts of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia due to the impending approach of Hurricane Florence
  • Most of the Hawaiian Islands due to the impending approach of now Tropical Storm Olivia, and
  • Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands due to Typhoon Mangkhut which passed over the islands on Monday and caused significant power outages and other damage,

A disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico has a high probability of further development and is expected to move toward the Texas coast later this week. Contact centers concerned that this storm may interrupt contact operations should amplify contact to the area in advance of the storm's approach.

To obtain the list of affected ZIP Codes, become a ContactRelief subscriber today.

Hurricane Florence

Powerful Hurricane Florence heading toward the U.S. coast is expected to bring life threatening storm surge and rainfall to portions of the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states. At 5 PM AST, the center of Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 29.0 North, longitude 70.1 West moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph (28 km/h). Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km).

Florence is a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts. The National Hurricane Center forecast calls for Florence to move toward the west-northwest and northwest with additional strengthening through tonight and some weakening expected on Thursday. Florence may be a Category 4 storm as it approaches the coast but may weaken to Category 2 as it lingers off the coastline into Friday.

The most a significant change in the forecast is a shift south on Thursday making landfall south of the North Carolina/South Carolina boundary highly likely. The storm is expected to slow down considerably by Thursday and sit off the coast for more than a day. This slowdown will bring potentially historic rainfall to the area with some parts of South and North Carolina expected to receive up to 24-30 inches of rain into Sunday. One positive of the change is track is that the mid-Atlantic areas including Washington D.C. may be spared from the worst of the rainfall. However, hurricane force winds may pummel the Carolinas for more than a day and a half until the storm finally moves on shore.

Storm surges of 6 feet with some areas above 15 feet are expected. Potentially catastrophic flash flooding, river flooding, and storm surge related flooding is likely. Officials warn that power outages due to Florence may last for many days. A state of emergency as in effect for Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Mandatory evacuations are in effect for parts of North and South Carolina. Florence is expected to make landfall south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as late as Friday night.

Tropical Storm Olivia

Hurricane Olivia weakened as expected into Tropical Storm Olivia overnight. At 1100 PM HST (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Olivia was located just east of Maui near latitude 20.8 North, longitude 154.6 West moving toward the west-southwest near 8 mph (13 km/h). A general west-southwest motion and a gradual increase in forward speed is expected overnight as the center of Olivia approaches Maui and the Big Island. The storm is passing through the islands now, and minor damage on Maui has been reported. After Olivia moves past the islands, a somewhat faster west-southwest motion is expected to resume and continue for the next couple of days.

Typhoon Mangkhut

Typhoon Mangkhut passed over the island of Guam in the early morning hours Monday. Over 80% of the island was without power after the storm. As of 6 AM CDT today, 50% of the island is still without power.

ContactRelief is monitoring the storms

The ContactRelief Disaster Decision Team will continue to monitor the development of these storms and issue additional advisories as warranted.



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Don't Delay

The next disaster is on its way. Become a ContactRelief subscriber and keep your company protected from disaster. Our full recommendations consist of the areas to be suspended and the list of zip codes covering these areas. With minimal effort, your company can quickly implement a solution that protects your company and its customers. As we say at ContactRelief, "It's just smart business."

Contact sales@contactrelief.com for more information.

Weather alerts, emergencies, and breaking news are monitored around the clock. The Disaster Decision Engine applies your rules to help you decide when to take action for your consumers. Your recommendations are sent to your contact centers and partners with ZIP Code granularity.