"Reports from an Air Force Reserve Unit hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts," the update said. "Re-strengthening is forecast to occur during the next day or so."
READ MORE: US Navy Evacuates Ships, 200 Troops Activated Ahead of Hurricane Florence
Mandatory evacuations start today for coastal areas of the US states of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
11 September 2018, 01:44 GMT
Those states, along with Maryland, have all declared a state of emergency in order to mobilize resources in advance of the storm.
Florence is expected to make landfall somewhere along the southeastern United States, likely near the border between the Carolinas, late Thursday or early Friday.
