Take note of the use of the two words, "unexpectedly intensifies," in the article title. Could be a clue that this is another controlled hurricane designed to wreak havoc on a complacent population that hasn't been affected by a major tropical storm all summer.

Florence Unexpectedly Intensifies to a Major Hurricane; U.S. East Coast a Potential Target
Dr. Jeff Masters | Weather Underground
September 5, 2018
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An intense period of tropical cyclone activity is upon us in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with the U.S. East Coast, Hawaii, and the Caribbean all potentially at risk of impacts from named storms next week. The most immediate concern is Hurricane Florence, which residents of the U.S. East Coast need to pay close attention to. Florence surprised forecasters by intensifying into the season’s first major hurricane on Wednesday morning. Florence became a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds at 11 am Wednesday, just 5 mph below Category 4 strength.

Florence’s ascension to major hurricane status on September 5 came very close to the usual September 4 date for the season’s first major hurricane. The Atlantic’s 2018 tally of 7 named storms and 3 hurricanes is about a week ahead of average; our accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) so far in 2018 is just 66% of average, though. That percentage is poised to jump much higher in the coming week as Hurricane Florence heads across the Atlantic towards the U.S.

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Eric Webb
@webberweather

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There's been a lot of talk lately about climo dictating that #Florence stays OTS. Unfortunately, there's nothing climatologically "normal" about the upcoming pattern, thanks in part to #Jebi. The 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane nearly passed over Bermuda & still hit the US.