FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The storm bearing down on Florida's northwest coast strengthened into Hurricane Hermine on Thursday afternoon and is on its way to becoming the first hurricane to strike Florida in 11 years.
An Air Force Hurricane Hunter plane found the storm's winds increased to about 80 miles per hour, making it a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday, according to the hurricane center's 8 p.m. advisory.
It would be the first hurricane to hit Florida since Wilma struck the Gulf coast and swept across South Florida in 2005. The storm will generate a "life-threatening" storm surge as it approaches land, the hurricane center said.
South Florida will see no impact since the storm has shifted north, removing the danger of flooding or high winds, according to the National Weather Service's briefing Thursday morning.
Florida alerts: The hurricane center posted hurricane warnings for the part of the Gulf Coast under threat, which includes the Suwannee River west to Mexico Beach. A hurricane watch has been issued from just north of Tampa to the Panhandle city of Destin. A tropical storm warning has been issued from the Anclote River to the Walton and Bay county lines. Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency to include 51 counties north of Lake Okeechobee.
Location: About 45 miles south-southeast of Apalachicola in the Florida Panhandle.
Movement/strength: North-northeast at 14 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
Details: Hurricane-force winds extend 45 miles from the center. Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the Gulf Coast by Thursday night. A storm surge of 1 to 9 feet is expected, depending on the area. The storm is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated areas seeing up to 15 inches.
A few tornadoes could possibly form across north Florida and southeast Georgia overnight. The tornado risk will continue across the eastern Carolinas from Friday morning into Friday night.
Other systems: Hurricane Gaston is spinning in the open waters of the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. A tropical storm warning has been issued for Flores and Corvo in the western Azores.
What was Tropical Depression Eight dissipated early Thursday, according to the hurricane center.
A broad area of low pressure, associated with a tropical wave, is located over the far eastern Atlantic, still some 2,500 miles from South Florida, and is being given a 10 percent chance of forming a tropical depression during the next two days and a 20 percent chance over the next five days.
