Winds across then inland areas will gust as high as 30 to 40 miles per hour.
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Gov. Rick Scott is warning Floridians that Hurricane Hermine could become “life-threatening” when it strikes the state.
Winds are expected to reach 40 miles per hour along the shore, with water levels between 8 and 13 feet, according to the tropical storm watch.
Thanks to the potential for heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Hermine, Sarasota County Schools has announced the cancellation of all after-school extracurricular activities Thursday, Sept. 1.
Cuomo confirmed that the MTA, Port Authority, Department of Transportation, National Guard, State Police, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Parks and Public Service Commission are ready to respond should the storm impact the NY area.
Residents in some low-lying communities in Florida were being asked to evacuate on Thursday as the storm approached. A mandatory evacuation notice has been issued for Franklin County, located along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida Panhandle.
Hermine was upgraded from a tropical storm to a category 1 hurricane earlier Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said. Rain accumulation could cause flash flooding in affected areas, and the NHC reported there is also risk of tornadoes.
The order included the state capital Tallahassee and home to tens of thousands of state workers.
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. City crews were struggling to keep up with demand for sand with sandbags. Regardless, flooding is still a major concern, as is wind damage and coastal erosion along Florida’s Big Bend.
One of them, Joe Allen, spray painted on plywood in large black letters: “Bring it on, Hermine”.
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The image shows a much more organized Hermine with bands of thunderstorms wrapping around its low-level center and blanketing the entire state of Florida. Some beach erosion and coastal flooding possible, especially around high tide.
