Travellers hoping to escape the wrath of category four Hurricane Florence should attempt to do so sooner rather than later, as airlines prepare to cancel hundreds of flights upon the storm’s arrival.
The first bands of Hurricane Florence are expected to arrive on the Carolina and Virginia coasts today with 1-2-feet of rain. However, according to AccuWeather, it has the potential to pick up intensity on Friday and over the weekend when it spreads inland.
During its peak, the storm could deliver 40-inches of rainfall over the area, making it the heaviest amount of rain to reach the lower 48 USA states in the last year. It’s also enough rain to potentially flood parts of northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee and southern West Virginia.
“There could be devastating floods well in from the coast back in the hills and mountains of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.”
Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather President & Founder
Airlines are preparing for potential flash flooding by adding extra services ahead of the storm to move travellers out of affected areas and cancelling flights on Friday.
Airlines such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines have capped fares below usual last-minute ticket levels, to encourage travellers to travel away from the severe weather before it arrives. They’re also waiving change fees, baggage and in-cabin fees for those affected by the storm, CNBC reported.
The crew aboard the International Space Station stared down the menacing eye of Category 4 #HurricaneFlorence, currently moving across the Atlantic Ocean and toward the east coast of the United States. pic.twitter.com/TTjzAp203r
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 12, 2018
Some 500 flights are also likely to be cancelled on Friday to and from airports such as Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Charleston International Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport.
In the meantime, cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have diverted their ships away from Hurricane Florence, Florida Today reported.
Carnival has altered its itineraries by cancelling stops in Puerto Rico and Bermuda, Royal Caribbean sent Grandeur of the Seas to Port Canaveral for two days instead of going to Bermuda, and Norwegian Cruise Line sent Norwegian Dawn to Canada over Bermuda.
Cruise lines agreed that safety was a top priority for their guests and they’d continue to monitor the weather.