Hermine had winds of 60 miles per hour, and the hurricane center expected it to strengthen and be a hurricane near the time of landfall, which could be late tonight or early Friday.
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Hermine is heading toward the Florida Gulf coast and is now centered around 330 miles SSW of Apalachicola, Florida and moving to the north/northeast around 8 mph. The storm will continue to head in a northeasterly direction causing some concern for our region by late Saturday. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for other sections of Florida’s Gulf coast.
Five to 10 inches will be possible in parts of northwest Florida and southern Georgia through Friday, the hurricane center said. Significant rain also was possible in southeast Georgia, central to eastern SC and eastern North Carolina.
“It is crucial that every Floridian has a plan in place to ensure their families, homes and businesses are fully prepared”, Gov. Rick Scott said in declaring the state of emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties. Winds areexpected to first reach tropical storm strength by Thursdayafternoon, making outside preparations hard or dangerous.Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed tocompletion. Glynn County remains in a tropical storm watch, he said.
“The main threats will be will be heavy rains and the possibility of tornadoes”, Nelson said. It said the storm was a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of about 80 miles per hour (130 kph). Estimates range from three to six inches in a general sense, with some areas in the eastern Big Bend possibly exceeding eight inches or more.
Maximum sustained winds are near 45 miles per hour with higher gusts. “Even after the storm passes, citizens should avoid unnecessary travel to allow first responders and road clearing crews to quickly respond to emergency needs”, the City of Tallahassee said in an alert to residents.
Florida cruise ships that dock at Port Canaveral and the Port of Tampa are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hermine as it develops in the Gulf of Mexico.
Schools in Clay County will be open Thursday, but after-school activities have been canceled because of the approaching threat from Tropical Depression 9, officials announced Wednesday.
The hurricane center is using a prototype storm surge watch-warning graphic to depict the areas most at risk.
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Meanwhile off Hawaii, Hurricane Madeline weakened to a tropical storm on Wednesday as it advanced toward Hawaii’s Big Island, where residents were bracing for strong winds and rain. A tropical cyclone tornado is usually very brief and fairly weak.
