Florence, Helene, and Isaac strengthening over the Atlantic

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The Atlantic hurricane season hits its peak on Monday and we now have three named storms to watch – Florence, Helene, and Isaac.

FOX 13 Meteorologist Tyler Eliasen will discuss the latest models at 7 p.m. on Facebook.

Of highest importance for the United States - right now - is Florence, which was about 800 miles southeast of Bermuda and heading due west Saturday evening.

Over the last two days, model trends along the southeastern U.S. coastline have shifted, hinting at a southwesterly track, which slowly diminishes the possibility of the storm staying offshore.

As of Saturday evening, however, a track that keeps the storm offshore is still in the cards.

Friday afternoon's European model took Florence onshore in southeastern North Carolina near Wilmington, while subsequent models of the GFS have turned the storm north sooner, keeping it just offshore.

While there are still some questions to be answered regarding the track of Florence, intensity guidance has been fairly consistent. The National Hurricane Center has high confidence that this system will strengthen rapidly Sunday and Monday, and approach the southeastern coast as a category 4 or 5 storm.

This could become an extremely dangerous situation for folks in those areas, who should monitor the progress of this storm closely.

Read more at www.myfoxhurricane.com.