Hermine has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm by the National Weather Service.

Hermine made landfall as a hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida early Friday morning, pounding Saint Marks with dangerous storm surge and rain.

It was the first hurricane to hit Florida in more than a decade.

Hermine is still moving to the north-northeast at 14 mph.

As of the 5 a.m. advisory, the storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Watches and warnings have not changed.

Tornado watches have been extended until 8 a.m. for Sumter and Marion counties. The watch was dropped for the rest of Central Florida. Tropical storm warnings were extended southward along both the east and west coast lines.

Public schools in Marion, Volusia and Flagler counties have canceled Friday classes. The tropical storm warning on the east coast extends to the Flagler/Volusia coastline.

The storm is 10 miles east-northeast of Saint Marks, and 35 miles southeast of Tallahassee. Bands of showers and storms will continue today.

Several inches of rain is expected across Central Florida over the next 24 to 36 hours. Flooding is possible.

Central Florida weather

Although the center will pass northwest of Central Florida, numerous rain bands will stream across the peninsula today and impact our area with off-and-on rounds of torrential rain. These rain bands may also be capable of producing isolated tornadoes.

The greatest tornado threat will be north and west of Orlando through the pre-dawn hours Friday.

Hermine will still produce bands of rain on the southern edge of it, and moisture will still be high across our area through Saturday leading to continued rounds of rain.

Winds may exceed tropical storm force (39 mph) starting tonight and rainfall may amount to more than 4 to 6 inches, with locally higher amounts possible. Flooding may occur in poor draining areas and streams may rise quickly following torrential downpours. Patio and lawn items should be brought indoors today. Winds may lead to downed branches and limbs.

Make sure your hurricane kit is prepped, and go over a plan of attack with your family.

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The Latest

5:30 a.m.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning in effect for Orange and Osceola counties until 6 a.m.. The storm is moving east at 55 mph with wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

5 a.m.

Hermine downgraded to a tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center. The storm is weakening while moving father inland at 14 mph.

1:59 a.m.

Hurricane Hermine has made landfall as a category 1 hurricane in Saint Marks, in the Big Bend area of Florida. The storm is producing a great deal of storm surge and rain, with sustained winds at 80 miles an hour. 

Hurricane force winds extend only 45 miles from the center, but tropical storm force winds extend up to 175 miles from the center, which means we will deal with downpours and possibly flooding. 

Areas of the Tampa area are being evacuated because of flooding right now.

12:36 a.m.

Strong storms caused damage in areas west of Orlando Thursday night. 

A tree fell on a home in Mascotte on Florida Avenue. The huge tree split and landed on a house. No one was hurt. 

Another huge tree in the Fruitland Park fell across Lewis Road, near the Myrtle Shores subdivision. Firefighters had to chop the tree up. 

And a storm in west Orange County took out several trees. The trees were damaged in the area of Porter Road in Winter Garden.

11:04 p.m.

Hermine is expected to make landfall shortly in the Big Bend area of Florida. The storm is 40 miles east of Apalachicola, with 80 mph sustained winds. No changes in advisories.

10:50 p.m.

Tornado watches for Marion and Sumter counties have been extended until 8 a.m. Friday. The watch has expired for the rest of Central Florida's counties.

10:18 p.m.

Daytona State College is closing its Flagler-Palm Coast campus on Friday because of the weather.

Students needing updated information should call 386-506-HELP.

10 p.m.

Hermine is 40 miles SE of Apalachicola in the Big Bend area.

The automated station on the Tyndall tower south of Apalachicola recently reported a sustained wind of 55 mph (89 km/h) and a wind gust of 73 mph (117 km/h) at an elevation of 115 ft (35 m).

During the past hour, wind gusts of 52 mph (83 km/h) occurred at Keaton Beach and Clearwater Beach, and 51 mph (81 km/h) at Cedar Key.

9:52 p.m.

The storms earlier this afternoon have left hundreds without power in West Central Florida.

SECO is reporting power outages for about 874 people in Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. No word on when power will be restored.

9:38 p.m.

The tornado warning has been allowed to expire, however a new warning may be issued for locations near Doctor Phillips.

9:16 p.m.

Tornado warning in effect for Western Orange and Southwest Seminole counties until 9:30 p.m. Doppler indicated rotation inseveral areas.

8:28 p.m.

Tornado warnings are in effect for western Orange County and Lake County until 9 p.m. People in areas such as The Villages, Lady Lake, Apopka, the west side of Ocoee and Winter Garden should take immediate shelter.

8 p.m.

As predicted, Hermine has continued to strengthen before landfall in the Big Bend area. The tropical cyclone has maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. It's traveling north-northeast at about 14 mph, according to National Hurricane Center forecasters. Some more strengthening is likely before landfall.

7:30 p.m.

Volusia County will close public schools tomorrow, the district announced on Twitter.

7 p.m.

With Hurricane Hermine just hours away from landfall, Gov. Rick Scott has issued another reminder to Floridians to be ready for the storm system.

“The Florida National Guard has more than 6,000 personnel ready to mobilize. FWC has special operations groups standing by with boats and search and rescue equipment to rescue people. Both the National Guard and FWC have pre-positioned equipment across the state to immediately respond. I have also been in touch with our utility companies and they have already prepositioned resources to respond.

"Please remember that while we can rebuild your home or your business, we cannot rebuild the loss of life.”

For state disaster information, go to FloridaDisaster.org/info.

3:45 p.m.

Volusia County is under a tornado warning until 4:15 p.m.

Flagler and Marion Public Schools have canceled classes for Friday.

3 p.m.

A tornado watch is in effect for all counties in Central Florida until 11 p.m. These include Brevard, Lake, Sumter, Marion, Volusia, Orange, Osceola, Flagler and Seminole counties.

2:30 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Orange and Lake counties until 3 p.m.

A tornado warning was issued for Sumter County until 2:45 p.m.

The tropical storm warning was extended southward along the west coast of Florida to Englewood, including the greater Tampa/St. Petersburg area, and southward along the east coast of Florida to the Flagler/Volusia County line.

1:27 p.m.

Tropical Storm Hermine has strengthened and now has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. The expectation is the storm will reach Category 1 hurricane status before making landfall overnight near the Florida Panhandle.

11:12 a.m.

Hermine continues to be a tropical storm. The system has sustained winds of about 65 mph, but it's expected to become a hurricane before it makes landfall. The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma, which was a Category 3 storm in October 2005.

5 a.m.

Hermine has picked up speed again and turned slightly. 

From meteorologist Maureen McCann:

While the point of landfall will be between the central Panhandle and the Big Bend, it is important to note that tropical storm-force winds extend out to 140 miles to the east of the center of circulation, and most of the heavy rainfall is occurring on the storm’s east side.

Top sustained winds have been at 60 mph this morning but could increase to Category 1-strength later today.

Florida has not seen a hurricane make landfall since Hurricane Wilma in October 2005.

2 a.m.

Hermine slowed down again as it continues to crawl toward Florida's coast. It is expected to pick up speed before it makes landfall. The storm is also expected to reach hurricane strength by landfall.

11 p.m.

Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for portions of the Gulf Coast. They said they expect the strengthening tropical cyclone to reach hurricane strength by landfall. the hurricane warning extends from the Suwannee River westward to Mexico Beach, Florida.

10 p.m.

Osceola County has locations across the county giving out 25 sandbags per household. Kissimmee resident Aileen Abueg said she likes to prepare conditions outside and inside her home and already knows where she'll be putting sandbags.

“I am putting them by the deck of the pool where the dirt is coming in. I just want to secure that area so we don’t have to do that cleaning again."

Abueg has been living in Buenaventura Lakes for almost a decade and said she is concerned because that area is prone to flooding.

— Stephanie Bechara, staff

9:45 p.m.

Boat owners in Flagler County were taking precautions to protect their property Wednesday from any surf.

At the Palm Coast Marina, they were tying their boats to a dock to make sure they're secure before the storm. Some boaters said they doubled up lines to try to prevent their boats from shifting too much in the strong winds.

Several families at the marina call their boats home.

"Just about everybody out here that has a boat has been doing it," Jeff Park said. "For the boats and folks not here, the dock master has been coming out and doubling out lines and making sure everything is secure."

The city and county also put out sandbags for homeowners. They're available at fire stations and the city public works throughout the county.

— Brittany Jones, staff

Latest watches, warnings

A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Atlantic coast, from Marineland, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

  • A hurricane warning is in effect for:
    • Suwannee River to Mexico Beach
  • A hurricane watch is in effect for:
    • Anclote River to Suwannee River
    • West of Mexico Beach to the Walton/Bay county line
  • A tropical storm warning is in effect for:
    • Englewood to Suwannee River
    • West of Mexico Beach to the Walton/Bay county line
    • Flagler/Volusia county line to Duck, NC

A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

Despite the intensity or classification of this storm around landfall, dangerous storm surge flooding is likely along the coast well to the east and south of the path of the center of circulation.

 

How close is the storm?

  • Orlando: 204 miles NW
  • Daytona Beach: 191 miles WNW
  • Cape Canaveral: 240 miles WNW
  • Melbourne: 249 miles NW
  • Tampa: 181 miles NNW
  • Tallahassee: 23 miles SE
  • Jacksonville: 139 miles W

Hazards affecting land

Wind: hurricane conditions should continue to spread along the coast in the Hurricane Warning area at this time. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within the warning area along the Atlantic coast later today, and spread northward through the weekend. Wind in the Tropical Storm Warning area along the Gulf Coast of Florida should gradually diminish today.

Storm surge: the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will continue to cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. There is a danger of life-threatening inundation within the next 12 to 24 hours along the Gulf Coast of Florida from Indian Pass to Longboat Key.

Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water. Promptly follow any instructions, including evacuation orders, from local officials.

The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

  • Destin to Indian Pass: 1-3 feet
  • Indian Pass to Ochlockonee River: 4-7 feet
  • Ochlockonee River to Yankeetown: 6-9 feet
  • Yankeetown to Aripeka: 4-7 feet
  • Aripeka to Longboat Key, including Tampa Bay 2-4 feet
  • Longboat Key to Bonita Beach: 1-3 feet
  • Florida-Georgia line to Tidewater of Virginia: 1-3 feet

Rainfall: Hermine is expected to produce storm total rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches over the southeastern United States
from northwest Florida through southern and eastern Georgia into South Carolina and eastern North Carolina, with possible isolated
maximum amounts of 15 inches. These rains may cause life-threatening floods and flash floods. Heavy rain could reach the coastal mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey beginning early Saturday.

Tornadoes: Isolated tornadoes are possible through tonight over north Florida and south Georgia.


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