Forecasters say they expect that system to turn to the northeast toward Florida and become a tropical storm by sometime Wednesday. A tropical storm warning has been issued for Anclote River to Destin, FL, on the Gulf, and a tropical storm watch from Marineland, FL, to Altamaha Sound, GA, on the Atlantic Coast.
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As Tropical Depression Nine looms in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a man who never hesitates to declare a state of emergency, declared a state of emergency Wednesday morning.
CARRABELLE, Fla. (AP) – Hurricane Hermine made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area early Friday as the first hurricane to hit the state in more than a decade, bringing soaking rain, high winds and thousands of power outages.
There are no longer any watches or warnings associated with Tropical Depression Eight, which has maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour. The system, which was a tropical depression as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, was about 345 miles west of Key West. It has the potential to pack Category 1 hurricane force winds as it moves inland, state DEM director Bryan Koon said.
The depression that’s upgraded to a storm first will be named Hermine.
Many took no chances with Hermine.
“It is now moving to the north at 2 miles per hour and will turn northeast in the next day or two”, Deskins said Wednesday morning.
Rain, wind and even an isolated tornado will be possible starting by Thursday afternoon.
The Hurricane Center warns of coastal flooding and storm surge.
Officials urged residents and businesses along the coast to rapidly make preparations, from boarding up windows to sandbagging areas around their homes and buildings.
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 hurricane center said coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas could get 4 to 7 inches, with local amounts of 10 inches possible through Saturday morning.
Scott added that 6,000 National Guardsmen in Florida are ready to mobilize after the storm passes. Areas along the Gulf coast could see water levels reach up to five feet above the ground if a peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. All watches and warnings for this system have been dropped.
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A tropical depression that formed Sunday off the coast of North Carolina appears sluggish and disorganized this morning, and is likely struggling to survive.
