Hurricane Hermine gained new strength Thursday evening and roared closer to Florida’s Gulf Coast, where rough surf began smashing against docks and boathouses and people braced for the first direct hit on the state from a hurricane in over a decade.
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As of 11 p.m. Thursday, Hermine was about 70 miles southwest of Keaton Beach, Florida, carrying maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, moving north-northeast at 14 mph.
“Winds are already near tropical storm strength in portions of the warning area, making outside preparations hard or risky”, the NHC said in a statement.
Hurricane Hermine brought strong winds and flooding to a wide swath of Florida’s Gulf coast early Friday, knocking out power to more than 150,000 and raising fears of additional damage as the storm swept across the state.
This system is expected to bring heavy rain and tropical storm force winds across north Florida and South Georgia Thursday.
The surge of ocean water could be as high as 9 feet above normal levels, forecasters said, as authorities warned its effect was not limited to Florida. “We can expect storm surges beginning this afternoon along the Nature Coast and the Big Bend, wind speeds up to 75 miles per hour, rainfall of up to 15 inches in some areas and tornadoes impacting Central and North Florida”. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in coastal neighborhoods.
Gov. Rick Scott is warning Floridians that Hurricane Hermine could become “life-threatening” when it strikes the state. Forecasters are warning that this storm is asymmetric and has some very risky winds and rain to the east and southeast of the center. Flooding rains and severe coastal flooding should be expected with Hermine. Farther north, the governors of Georgia and North Carolina has both issued state of emergencies for dozens of counties in anticipation of large amounts of rain. City crews were struggling to keep up with demand for sand with sandbags.
Tim Allen, left, and Joe Allen board up a bar as they prepare for Hermine Thursday in Cedar Key, Fla.
“I’ve never seen it this high, it’s pretty insane”, Chason said.
The water could reach 4-7 feet above the ground if Hermine’s worst surge comes in during high tide from Indian Pass to Chassahowitzka. “You can never fully protect yourself
from nature”.
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In the meantime, flash flood watches and warnings have been issued from Florida to Virginia, and heavy rain of up to 10 inches has been predicted from Georgia to the Carolinas, with isolated areas receiving as much as 15 inches.
