Tropical storm force winds of between 30-40 miles per hour, and gusts of up to 55 miles per hour, are expected from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning, the Weather Service said. Madeline was centered about 445 miles (715 kilometers) east of Hilo, Hawaii, and moving west at 10 mph (17 kph).
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It could bring up to 35 mile-per-hour sustained winds, and even stronger wind gusts.
After that, the storm would head across Florida and “brush the entire Southeast coastline with rain, beach erosion and windy conditions on Friday”, according to NBC meteorologist Bill Karins. The storm is expected to bring inclement weather to the area through Friday.
The tropical storm watch is in effect for the Florida Gulf Coast coast west of Indian Pass to the Walton/Bay County Line.
“Well, the sun has been shining and we’ve been hearing about this storm for two days”, Jennifer Bange, 43, of Painted Post, New York, said Tuesday afternoon.
Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 42 Florida counties ahead of the system’s main impacts on the state.
Forecasters say they expect that system to turn to the northeast toward Florida and become a tropical storm sometime Wednesday.
Coastal surge as high as 6 feet could hit from Gulf to Pasco counties, the hurricane center said.
Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened into a hurricane Thursday and steamed.
National Hurricane forecasters aren’t taking chances with the meandering tropical depression nine, saying this morning the system could become a weak hurricane before landfall.
Tornadoes are also possible late tonight into Thursday morning, mainly across central Florida.
Businesses on North Carolina’s Outer Banks are warily watching tropical weather systems that could rain out one of the last busy weeks of the summer tourist season.
High winds knocked trees onto several houses in Tallahassee, injuring people inside. Some isolated parts could see up to 15 inches.
The storm will then continue up the East Coast giving way to clearing conditions across the Carolinas by Sunday. Sandbags are available for residents around the Tampa Bay area.
“The second storm is the one I’m more anxious about”, she said.
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“Enhanced showers and gusty thunderstorms can be expected with localized flooding possible along the system’s path”, AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee said.
