As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Tropical Depression Nine has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and is moving north-northwest at two miles per hour.
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Two tropical weather systems are closely being monitored by weather forecasters as well as residents, business owners, and beachgoers along the shores of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
For Florida’s watch area, tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area on Thursday afternoon and hurricane conditions are possible over portions of the hurricane watch area beginning Thursday afternoon.
There’s no need to worry just yet, but North Carolina should keep a close eye on the strengthening tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico.
Between 5 and 10 inches of rain were expected with higher amounts in some areas.
Forecasters said there was also a high risk of rip currents through Wednesday morning at South Florida beaches.
Weather forecasters have kept an eye on the tropical weather since August 18, when it became Invest 99, or area of interest to be watched by the National Hurricane Center and weather watchers everywhere.
A tropical storm watch was also added for the Atlantic coast from Mainland in Florida to Altamaha Sound, Ga.
The storm also continued to dump heavy rain on western Cuba, where days of rain now total 20 inches.
Longboat Key is expected to receive roughly 3 to 5 inches of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center, although the storm path should be well north of the island.
As for the the hurricane watch, it covers the Gulf Coast from the Anclote River, near Tarpon Springs, to Indian Pass in the Panhandle. The storm was forecast to “pass dangerously close” on Wednesday, prompting the NWS to issue a hurricane warning for the island.
The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center turns the storm northward and then northeastward in the Gulf of Mexico through the day on Thursday.
As the storm approaches landfall, it’s likely that much of the impacts from it will be to the east and northeast of the low pressure center. These locations including Raleigh could still see scattered storms late Thursday with the front that moves into the state.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu is tracking Hurricane Madeline, now located about 400 miles east of the Big Island of Hawaii.
It says Hermine is centered about 415 miles (665 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida and is drifting at 2 mph (4 kph) toward the north. As of Tuesday afternoon, maximum winds are near 110 mph and some weakening is expected during the next 48 hours.
Coastal surge as high as 6 feet could hit from Gulf to Pasco counties, the hurricane center said.
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“If you don’t know how to swim, and you’re not on your game, those waves will pull you”, Fayans, a surfer who witnessed the ordeal, told ABC’s NY station WABC-TV.
