Tropical Storm Hermine has strengthened and become a hurricane, the first to hit Florida in 11 years.
Hurricane Hermine was a Category 1 hurricane as of Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
Hermine is predicted to make landfall over the vulnerable Big Bend area of Florida Thursday evening and through Friday morning. The storm is forecasted to move east after leaving Florida.
Floridians have been watching Hermine closely for over a week, when the storm first developed into a tropical disturbance, then a depression, then into a storm.
Large amounts of rain soaked the Gulf Coast of Florida Wednesday afternoon and continued through Thursday, causing flooding in parts of the state.
Many school districts and universities closed statewide on Thursday and Friday to prepare for the storm. The University of Florida closed Thursday and Florida State University closed Thursday at noon and said it would remain closed until Friday.
Gov. Rick Scott warned Floridians to be careful as the storm moved over the state, creating a preparedness plan and sticking to it.
"The most important thing we all must put in our minds is that this is life threatening,” Scott told reporters at the Florida Emergency Management Center. “We have not had a hurricane in years, people have moved here and we have visitors."
Scott declared a State of Emergency in 51 Florida counties Wednesday, ordering state offices in those counties to close at noon Thursday.
One of the biggest threats for Floridians from Hermine will be a dangerous storm surge. The NHC warned of 3 to 5 feet of storm surge possible from the Ochlockonee River to the Suwannee River and 2 to 4 feet or storm surge possible from Indian Pass to the Ochlockonee River.
Storm surge flooding is particularly dangerous for the Big Bend area, since it is the most vulnerable to storm surge flooding. There isn’t anywhere for water to go in this particular part of the state so the effects of storm surge flooding can be particularly devastating.
Hermine is the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season’s eighth named storm. After the storm passes over Florida, it will head to the southeast coast of Georgia, and then will continue on its path, possibly bringing rain up to the Boston area by next week.
