The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Hermine has formed from a system swirling in the Gulf of Mexico.
A tropical storm warning was issued Wednesday morning for a section of Florida's Gulf coast and Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency as Hermine approaches.
The tropical storm warning covers an area from Anclote River to the Walton County-Bay County line in the Panhandle. That area is also under a hurricane watch.
“The official forecast track from the National Hurricane Center has been nudged slightly to the west or to the left of earlier projections,” said Florida Public Radio Emergency Network meteorologist Jeff Huffman. “Landfall is still expected somewhere between Apalachicola and Cedar Key especially up into the Apalachee Bay on Thursday afternoon. The forecast intensity is for it to be a strong tropical storm, possibly a weak hurricane.”
The Miami-based center says a hurricane hunter plane has determined that a tropical depression strengthened Wednesday into the named storm and Hermine now boasts top sustained winds of 40 mph.
It says Hermine is centered about 415 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida and is drifting at 2 mph toward the north.
The center says the tropical storm should turn more toward the northeast with increasing speed on Thursday and is on a forecast track that would approach the northwest Florida coast about Thursday afternoon.
A storm surge threat exists along the Nature Coast in the Big Bend region. Wind damage and flooding are also concerns when it moves ashore, Huffman said.
The state of emergency covers 42 counties, Scott said in a release.
“It is crucial that every Floridian has a plan in place to ensure their families, homes and businesses are fully prepared,” Scott said. “I have been closely monitoring this storm’s development and our emergency management officials have been working hard to make sure we are ready to respond to any potential impacts.”
National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb urges those living along the coast to be prepared for the worst.
“We want people to focus on not what is now, but what it could be,” Knabb said. “The forecast is for a tropical storm but it could also become a hurricane.”
