Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 42 Florida counties on Wednesday as residents braced for the risky weather conditions.
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Data from USAF hurricane hunter finds #Hermine is now a hurricane.
Hermine’s maximum sustained winds Thursday morning were near 100 km/h.
The storm is expected to cut inland across the South, ending up near the Virginia-North Carolina line by Saturday. “And if you think you might need to go to a shelter, know where a shelter is”, Scott told residents. That’s a huge chunk of new Floridians who’ve never endured a hurricane.
Tropical Storm Hermine will bring impacts to the Southeast on Thursday, while a cool and dry air mass settles in across the Northeast.
The storm – which formed in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week – is located approximately 275 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige declared a state of emergency Tuesday ahead of Madeline.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the US east coast from Marineland Florida to South Santee River South Carolina.
Robeson County can expect a soaking tonight and Friday from Tropical Storm Hermine.
Morrison says the eastern part of the state could be hit with heavy rains and tropical storm or hurricane-force winds starting Friday night.
Residents and people with vacation homes began leaving the area Thursday. He said his biggest worry is storm surge. Despite the bravado, he said, “I’m anxious”.
Forecasters say Central Florida could see several inches of rain through Friday.
Storm surge flooding in some areas along the Gulf Coast could reach up to 8 feet.
The storm, which NOAA’s National Hurricane Center upgraded from a tropical depression late yesterday, continues to intensify and could attain hurricane strength by the time it makes landfall later today. Florida cities that will be at risk for tornadoes include Tampa, Orlando, Ocala, Melbourne, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach and Tallahassee, according to AccuWeather. Hermine will become a hurricane if its sustained wind speeds top 74 miles per hour.
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The storm, spinning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico, threatens to slam into the Panhandle area or just south of it after midnight, bringing heavy rain and possible risky storm surges. Okato Nakamura heads to the beach to surf the swell from Tropical Storm Hermine at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016.
