A hurricane warning was in effect for northern Florida and authorities warned of potential strong winds and storm surges that could cause flooding.
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Hermine becomes the fourth hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin. Hermine is expected to make landfall around midnight over the Florida Panhandle.
A surfer surfs the swell from Tropical Storm Hermine in Panama City Beach on Thursday.
As Hermine continues to menace Florida’s northwest coast, it officially crossed over into hurricane territory this afternoon.
POWER OUTAGES: Still looking for isolated to scattered pockets of downed trees which of course could bring down some power lines and associated power outages.
The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in SC.
Tropical Storm Hermine has threatened to bring a unsafe storm surge and flooding to Florida after it strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico.
The state of Florida is now under warnings, as winds surpass 75 miles per hour. “All of this together, and parts of it by itself, is life-threatening”.
Near the coast, storm surge continued to rise with estimates as high as 9 feet in some areas. Several Florida schools announced closings on Thursday or Friday due to the storm.
The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. According to the NHC, the system also poses a risk of tornadoes near the central Florida coast.
Reports show the storm will reach landfall by Thursday night, and Gov. Scott is taking precautions for the incoming conditions by putting 51 Florida counties under a state of emergency and closing government offices, including capital Tallahassee, at noon on Thursday.
As of 4 p.m., sustained winds in the storm were 75 miles per hour with gusts up to 90 miles per hour.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida and voluntary evacuations were in place in at least three more counties. Greaves said he lived in South Florida when Hurricane Andrew devastated the area in 1992.
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Widespread showers and potentially heavy downpours are making their way across Southern New England and into Boston late Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
