However, even as Hermine showed signs of weakening, it has left severe damage to almost 300,000 homes and business establishments and one death in Florida.
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Forecasters issued a flash flood watch for northeast SC and southeast North Carolina through Saturday morning.
Closer to the Interstate 95 corridor including the immediate D.C. metro area, but south of Baltimore, about 1/10 inch to 1/2 inch of rain could fall in the same time frame.
As of 11am on Friday, it had weakened from its peak wind speed of 80mph to a tropical storm.
As of Saturday morning, Staten Island was put under a Tropical Storm Watch by the National Weather Service.
Although damage was still being assessed, the governor said he knew of no other “major issues” besides the power outages and damaged roads.
In Tallahassee, more than 70,000 utility customers were without power as winds and rain lashed the city. It was reported that Hermine has affected 60 percent of the state capital.
He says more than 3,000 Georgia Power crew members are going from “spot to spot” trying to fix damages from fallen trees and electrical lines.
Cities such as Tallahassee and Orlando were offering sandbags to residents to protect homes and businesses from flooding caused by the up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain as heavy rains were already pounding parts of the state and were expected through Friday.
It was packing sustained winds of 85 kilometres per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said, warning of possible storm surges as it moves up the mid-Atlantic region.
Robert Long and his son J.D., 4, watch workers removing downed trees during cleanup operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Hermine in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. September 2, 2016.
An estimated 325,000 people were without power in Florida and more than 107,000 in neighboring Georgia, officials said.
Even though meteorologists might officially classify the system as “post-tropical” over the weekend, Hermine is expected to remain “a unsafe cyclone through 5 days”, according to the hurricane center. If it stays south, it may bring little to no rain for most of the area.
Center of Hermine moving into North Carolina. Officials advised New Jersey, New York City and CT to brace for Hermine.
Severe Weather Team 2 is tracking the storm’s impacts on Georgia on Channel 2 Action News.
WARNING AREA: A tropical storm warning is in effect for coastal sections of Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cape May and southeastern Burlington counties, plus Cumberland and Salem counties along the Delaware Bay. And remember, even though the storm will be to the north by later Saturday, the risk of rip currents will remain high through the weekend.
Hermine was expected to move into the Carolinas and roll up the East Coast, bringing the potential for drenching rain and devastating flooding through the Labor Day weekend.
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According to News 8, “The worst of the storm is likely to be sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning when the center of it is east of the Southern NJ”. “Heavy rainfall and strong winds will make driving risky”.
