Hurricane Frances could hit Florida less than three weeks after Charley

A MENACING Hurricane Frances, packing 140mph winds, crept closer to the southeastern United States yesterday, and forecasters said Florida - still cleaning up after Charley - was at risk of another hurricane strike as soon as tomorrow.

As Frances closed in on the Bahamas, it was expected to fluctuate in intensity and could become a Category 5 storm with winds of 156mph or higher, said Jamie Rhome, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. The storm could hit anywhere from South Florida to South Carolina.

“This still is a huge threat to the southeast US coast,” Rhome said.

“All indications [are] that Florida is the prime candidate.”

The last time two major hurricanes - defined as Category 3 and up, with winds of at least 111mph - hit Florida in rapid succession was 1950, the hurricane centre said.

Hurricane Easy hit Tampa around September 4 of that year and Hurricane King hit Miami six weeks later, on October 17.

It has been less than three weeks since Charley struck.

Frances is centred about 130 miles east of Grand Turk Island, southeast of the Bahamas and 1,260 miles east-southeast of Palm Beach. It was moving west-northwest at 16mph.

Frances was forecast to plough through the Bahamas late last night and today before hitting the US mainland.