Early on Saturday, Florence was spinning its way across the Atlantic Ocean more than 800 miles (1,287 km) southeast of Bermuda, moving west at around 9 miles per hour (14 km per hour), according to the Florida-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm was expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents along the US east coast this weekend.
Florence's path remained uncertain on Saturday, with some models showing a direct hit on the United States in several days and others suggesting it could still veer north without making landfall.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Friday and urged residents to prepare for the storm's arrival.Florence, which was at hurricane strength earlier this week before weakening to a tropical storm, had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 km/h). The NHC is predicting Florence will evolve back into a major hurricane in a few days, with wind speeds possibly reaching 145 mph (233 km/h).