![]() Florence at peak intensity over the North Atlantic on November 7 | |
Meteorological history | |
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Formed | November 2, 1994 |
Dissipated | November 8, 1994 |
Category 2 hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 110 mph (175 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 972 mbar (hPa); 28.70 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | None |
Damage | None |
Areas affected | Central Atlantic |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Florence was a strong, late season hurricane that remained out over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean for nearly a week, before being absorbed into a large extratropical cyclone. With peak winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 972 mbar (hPa; 28.71 inHg), Florence was the strongest storm of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season. Florence developed out of an area of low pressure associated with a stalled frontal system located 1,150 mi (1,850 km) east-southeast of Bermuda in late October. The system gradually became better organized and was classified a subtropical depression on November 2. The storm intensified into a subtropical storm shortly thereafter before weakening into a tropical depression on the next day.
After gaining tropical characteristics throughout most of the day on November 3, the storm was designated Tropical Depression Eleven. The depression quickly strengthened into Tropical Storm Florence, the sixth named storm of the season. The storm briefly underwent rapid intensification, strengthening into a hurricane, before leveling out as a Category 1 hurricane. Florence was subsequently upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on November 7. However, a large extratropical cyclone located to the north caused the hurricane to rapidly accelerate, with forward speeds reaching 58 mph (93 km/h). By the next day, Florence lost its identity, while still producing hurricane-force winds, as it was absorbed by the extratropical cyclone.