HOUSTON – Hermine strengthened to a hurricane Thursday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico as the storm moved closer to Florida.
As of 4 p.m., sustained winds in the storm were 75 mph with gusts up to 90 mph. Hermine was moving north-northeast at 14 mph. It will make landfall near Apalachicola late Thursday evening.
Rainfall totals of six to eight inches will be common in north Florida as Hermine rolls through. The faster pace of the storm will keep rainfall totals lower than those from a slower-moving storm. That's good news from a flooding perspective. Regardless, flooding is still a major concern, as is wind damage and coastal erosion along Florida's Big Bend.
Hermine will continue along the coast of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia, dropping as much as eight inches of rain and causing more flooding before emerging over the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday.
Once over the open Atlantic, just offshore from Delaware, New Jersey and New York, it will slow to a crawl. Depending on its position, strength and the amount of time it hovers in place, the Mid Atlantic coast from Maryland to Long Island could be at risk for significant coastal erosion early next week.
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