HMS Queen Elizabeth: What is Hurricane Florence? And is the Royal Navy carrier in its path?

The category two Hurricane Florence could '˜kill a lot of people' the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have warned. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in Mayport, Florida, on the East Coast of America last week for a re-supply drop before heading further north for historic flight tests.

What is Hurricane Florence?  

A type of storm, a hurricane '“ known as a tropical cyclone '“ forms over tropical or subtropical waters. 

It is a rotating low-pressure weather system, when it reaches speeds of 74mph then it is called a hurricane. 

Hurricane season begins on June 1 and lasts until November 30. 

While Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a category one from a category four but is still '˜very dangerous', officials have warned. 

Is HMS Queen Elizabeth in its path? 

Hurricane Florence is currently making landfall in North Carolina '“ with flash flood warnings in place in the state today. 

However the hurricane is not going to hit Mayport, so the HMS Queen Elizabeth and her crew will be safe '“ as NC is hundreds miles north of Florida. 

But Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland '“ where the flight tests will take place '“ could be in the path of Hurricane Florence. 

The local government '“ St Mary's County '“ were distributing sandbags in the area earlier this week and the navy base issued a warning on Facebook. They wrote: '˜NDW has instructed all Navy installations in the region to set Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness IV.

'˜TCCOR IV means destructive winds of 50 knots or greater associated with a tropical system are possible in the NDW AOR within 72 hours.

'˜Hurricane Florence might pose a significant danger to personnel, installations and other resources, and there is no substitute for advance planning and preparation.

'˜We encourage you to prepare for possible power outages, impassable roads and downed trees.' 

HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to sail to Maryland for the flight tests which will see the first landing of the F-35B, the UK's new stealth jet, onto the enormous flight deck of the 65,000-tonne leviathan.

However the re-supply stop in Florida has not been plain sailing '“ with British navy personnel urinating from a pub balcony, kicked out of bars '“ and one was detained by police using a Taser. 

Six were arrested for drunk and disorderly, with another arrest for trespass in a pub, sources told The News.

Three of the six were also held over resisting arrest.