No longer a hurricane, Tropical Storm Florence is following an uncertain path.
Florence became the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic season on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds peaking at 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. That made it a Category 4 hurricane.
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Increased wind shear over the open Atlantic weakened Florence, which had 65-mph winds as of 5 a.m. Friday.
It's too early to tell if the storm will make landfall somewhere on the East Coast or if it will turn harmlessly back to sea.
There are dozens of different models and versions of forecast tracks that meteorologists have among their forecasting tools, and a majority still show the center of Florence staying offshore — but most track it close enough to cause some impact next week
Florence should track south of Bermuda early next week but will be close enough to bring gusty winds and dangerous surf conditions. Large swells will also begin affecting the U.S. Southeast coast, with larger waves and rough surf as early as this weekend, increasing through next week.
Until then, the Triangle is expecting to be clear and dry.
WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said there is a 20 percent chance of rain on Friday, but that chance increases to 40 percent during the weekend.
Rain and thunderstorms are most likely Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
"A very slim chance of showers and thunderstorms in the mornings, and then once we get to lunchtime and into the afternoon, we get to about a 40 percent chance both days," Gardner said.
Aside from the growing risk of rain, the other big weather consideration is the heat.
Friday’s temperatures will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s in the afternoon, though it might feel like the upper 90s outside, Gardner continued.
“We just continue plugging along with this summer pattern,” she said.