Hurricane Florence maintained its Category 3 storm status Thursday as it moved toward Bermuda and potentially the East Coast.
Now with 115 mph winds, the storm had risen briefly to Category 4 Wednesday with winds of 130 mph.
Florence was expected to continue to move northwest through the weekend and approach Bermuda around Monday or Tuesday.
Florence may be close to the East Coast by the middle or end of next week.
With hurricane season in full swing, another tropical wave is behind Florence — Helene — potentially becoming the next storm.
Peak hurricane season is from mid-August through mid-October and the peak date for hurricane season, on average, is Sept. 10.
The new storms formed just as tropical depression Gordon left flooding and rain behind for the Gulf Coast.
Parts of Florida saw almost 10 inches of rain.
The remnants from Gordon continued into Arkansas Thursday morning.
Flood watches have been issued after parts of Kansas saw severe flooding Wednesday. Parts of Iowa have seen more than 10 inches in the past few days.
