Isolated tornadoes and storm surges as high as 8 feet (2.45 m) were also forecast.
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Things continue to look better & better for South Mississippi as Hermine stays on a north-northeast path and even picks up some speed. That’s a huge chunk of new Floridians who’ve never endured a hurricane.
NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins said Hermine had “24 hours to make a run at ending Florida’s 11-year hurricane drought”.
Data from USAF hurricane hunter finds #Hermine is now a hurricane.
On Thursday, the storm was still in the Gulf of Mexico, with winds around 60 miles per hour. It was moving to the north-northeast at 12 miles per hour.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Florida’s Big Bend from the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach. In all, 500,000 Floridians were under a hurricane warning as of late Thursday.
The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. Several Florida schools announced closings on Thursday or Friday due to the storm.
Winds of 75mph (120kmph) could gust on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Residents and people with vacation homes are starting to leave. Despite the bravado, he said, “I’m anxious”.
“If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren’t going to matter out here”, he said, ready to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water pushed boats dangerously close to the roof.
“I love storms so long as they aren’t damaging”, he said. “That’s why you need to take action”.
The storm will then cut through the southeastern USA and reemerge over water off the Carolina coast, probably as a post-tropical storm, meaning Hermine will likely maintain strong winds but lose most of its tropical characteristics.
The biggest concern National Weather Service Tallahassee officials say is downed trees and widespread power outages caused by tropical storm force winds.
Valdosta State University in south Georgia canceled classes from Thursday at 5:30 p.m. through Friday at 5 p.m. Dorms and dining halls will remain open.
As for the areas on alert for possible tornadoes, Tampa, Orlando, Ocala, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee and other cities have been put on notice. “Since forecasts indicate our service territory should miss the brunt of the storm, we have the opportunity to send crews to Florida to assist in their restoration”.
Areas on the western side of the state could see between 10 and 15 inches of rain, while the eastern side could see some flash-flooding. That’s good news from a flooding perspective.
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That could mean heavy rain, gusty winds and, in the least, heavy surf for Ocean City beachgoers over Labor Day weekend.
