Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida, Weakens and Heads Towards Northeast

Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia

Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, struck in the early morning hours on Friday, bringing with it over 20” of rain in some parts of the state. At 5 a.m., Hermine was downgraded to a tropical storm after losing its water source over land,

Still, the storm is expected to bring inclement weather, including strong winds, isolated tornadoes, heavy rain, and possible flooding, to areas as it continues to move Northeast through the weekend, and will likely reach as far North as New Jersey.

Tropical storm watches have been issued for the Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey coasts, in addition to the tropical storm warnings already issued in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

As of 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, 45 flights have been cancelled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, with a further 60 delayed according to FlightStats, a flight tracking service. In Florida, there were six cancelled and 57 delayed at Tampa International Airport, and nine cancelled and 76 delayed at Miami International, while Jacksonville International Airport experienced 43 cancellations and nine delays.

Savannah/Hilton Head Airport in Georgia has seen 16 cancellations and 6 delays, while Charleston International Airport has had 14 cancellations and eight delays.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)