Powerful hurricane could be headed to southeast US

The National Hurricane Center projects Hurricane Florence could become a major storm - classified as Category 3 or higher - by Monday.

The storm is expected to undergo rapid intensification beginning on Sunday night, and will likely become a major hurricane by Monday.

A landfall is expected Thursday night or Friday morning along the coast of SC or North Carolina. "We are mobilizing the state's resources to make sure we are prepared, and the people of SC must not hesitate to prepare for the possibility of a hurricane impacting our coast".

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Friday and urged residents to use the weekend to prepare.

"While it's still too early to know the storm's path, we know we have to be prepared", he said in a written statement.

The governor advised that residents download the Ready NC app and follow state emergency management on Facebook and Twitter for weather updates and tips on how to prepare for the storm.

The storm's sustained winds reached 121 km/h, just over the threshold for a hurricane, on Sunday morning as it was moving across the Atlantic, about 1,210 km/h southeast of Bermuda.

As of Sunday morning, Florence's center had maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, two other tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic Basin.

Experts say the East Coast should prepare for a blow by the middle of the week as the hurricane rapidly intensifies. The storm is moving west at 7 miles per hour.

An enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Florence, center, in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.

Tropical-storm warnings have been issued for the southern Cabo Verde Islands.

Tropical Storm Isaac is churning towards the Windward Islands amid a forecast that it could become a hurricane before the end of the day. Forecasters predicted it would become a risky Category 4 storm before a possible landfall Friday. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Helene is expected to become a hurricane later today. It is expected to accelerate during the next 36 hours. The window for the storm to miss the United States coast and turn harmlessly back to sea is closing, CNN forecasters said. On the current track, Olivia may be near the Hawaiian Islands by late Tuesday.