Important message from NBC12 meteorologists on Hurricane Florence

(WWBT) - NBC12 will be providing extensive coverage of Hurricane Florence both on TV and online.

This storm has serious potential to cause lasting damage.

At landfall, tropical storm-force winds could extend out beyond the "cone forecast," which could knock out power in the Richmond area.

Rain could be in excess of 10 inches, and could bring catastrophic flooding. This would be the first significant test for Richmond's flood wall.

Before complaining about disruptions to the regular broadcast schedule, understand Richmond is our home and we want everyone to take this storm seriously and be prepared.

Hopefully, the storm weakens before making landfall or brings less rain than we are expecting, or is spread out over several days to minimize the flooding.

But please make plans now.

Even if you lose power, you can continue to follow the storm on your mobile device on NBC12.com, the NBC12 news and weather apps and the NBC12 Facebook page.

Sincerely,

Jim Duncan, Andrew Freiden, Ros Runner and Megan Wise - The NBC12 First Alert Weather Team.

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