Many of the rivers in Maryland are already slightly flooded due to the regular raining weathers. It is a sign that Florence could potentially causes a bigger flood to the river if it hits Maryland. The forecast by National Hurricane Center warns that there will be a heavy rainfall that stretch hundreds of miles inland when Hurricane Florence arrive.
Maryland is particularly concerns that the storm will bring a sustained rainfall that continue for 2 days. Ellicott City is one of the place that is likely to get hit with a big flood damage. By Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center has already forecast that Florence will upgrade to tropical storm and then to hurricane storm heading towards North Carolina coast.
Central Maryland has a 30% chance while Southern Maryland has a 40% chance of getting hit by Florence. The wind should not pose a lot of threat on Maryland if the forecast maintain that the storm will hit Carolina. In this case, Maryland will only get some strong winds. Although Maryland may not get hit by Florence, it may get hit by a tropical storm with some wind traveling at 73 mph on Thursday morning.
At the moment, the chief concern is storm surge that might appear on Carolina coast. The area where the storm surge will take place relies on the track of the storm. In some beaches for example, the beach in Baltimore, the water of the ocean is 2 feet higher than the normal level. The water of Chesapeake Bay has also increased. Maryland is expected to receive more fainfall as Hurricane Florence closes in.
Maryland National Guard has been informed of about the hurricane. The crews of utility companies and State Highway Administration have also been alerted. There are state shelters are available for the locals in case they are not in time to find their own shelters. In the meantime, Gov. Ralph Northam has already announced a state of emergency in Virginia.
On the Maryland government Twitter page, the latest tweet state that the state emergency management team is monitoring Hurricane Florence and regularly evaluate its impact to the state. In the tweet, the government also urge the residents of Maryland to look out for any official declaration, and pay attention to the forecast channel for the latest update on the hurricane.
At this time, it is advised that the people don’t go to any beach on the east coast. This is because the hurricane is approaching and there will possibly be life threatening surge. There will also be strong current in the water which makes it dangerous to swim. It is important that you always keep yourself prepared by going to the store to stock in the emergency supplies and paying attention to the situation.
