Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in parts of the state ahead of Tropical Depression Nine.
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All residents and visitors from the central and northeastern Gulf Coast to the coastal Carolinas should continue to monitor the progress Tropical Depression Nine and review what preparations are needed if a strong tropical storm threatens.
At 5 a.m., the center of Tropical Depression 9 was located near latitude 24.5 North, longitude 88.1 West, or 405 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola. “Tropical Storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area on Thursday afternoon”.
The center said the Georgia and SC coasts should expect 4 to 7 inches of rain after the storm swings northeast from Florida, and amounts could reach 10 inches in some places.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Watch for parts of Florida.
This year, government forecasters predicted a near-normal season with 10 to 16 tropical storms, of which four to eight would be hurricanes.
The watch area includes the Georgia cities of Brunswick and St. Marys.
The depression has been moving toward the north near 2 miles per hour, but Brown said that is going to change.
This system is expected to bring heavy rain and tropical storm force winds across north Florida and South Georgia Thursday. It’s moving a little faster Wednesday than it was Tuesday, and maximum winds are near 115 miles per hour. At present the storm seems to be mirroring the path of Tropical Storm Debby, which caused extensive flooding throughout north and central Florida in 2012.
In the Pacific, Category 1 Hurricane Madeline churned toward Hawaii, promising to bring heavy rain and high winds. It’s moving northeast and is not expected to impact the East Coast.
“Last night, hurricane and tropical storm watches were issued along Florida’s Gulf Coast from Pasco County to Gulf County”.
Tropical Depression 9 on Wednesday morning paused on its trek toward Florida, which was peppered with watches and warnings in anticipation of a Thursday landfall.
Byron Miller, manager of The Ocracoke Harbor Inn, said one person cancelled because of the forecast, and business is a little slower than usual.
In nearby Frisco, whipped-up waves attracted out-of-town surfers. It was forecast to weaken to a tropical storm by then.
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Marion County is under a tropical storm watch, and a flood watch has been issued for Sumter County.
