Hermine hits Florida coast as 1st hurricane in a decade

Hermine is presently being deflected by a massive area of high pressure in the Great Lakes, slowing the northern advancement of the storm.

City beaches will be closed Sunday – and possibly Labor Day – amid concerns that Tropical Storm Hermine will generate highly risky rip tides, Mayor de Blasio said Friday.

In Wakulla County, south of Tallahassee, a couple suffered minor injuries during the storm when they drove into a tree that had fallen in the road, County Administrator Dustin Hinkel said early Friday. “Stay away from down power lines”, he said. It was reported that Hermine has affected 60 percent of the state capital.

Hermine is now churning in the Gulf of Mexico west of Florida.

Hermine remains a threat to Americans who live on the coast between SC and Rhode Island, officials say, and is expected to bring widespread localised flooding.

Since reaching land Hermine has been responsible for wind speeds greater than 40 miles per hour, causing damage to property including knocking a tree onto a power line and home in Georgia.

A front end loader clears debris from the street after Hurricane Hermine passed through Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, in Cedar Key, Fla.

The Deputy Chief of Police at Florida State University tweeted this video of the storm.

The storm caused considerable damage on Friday and Saturday morning in Florida and Georgia, cutting off power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

These rains may cause life-threatening flooding and flash flooding.

The Category 1 storm hit just east of St. Marks around 1:30 a.m. EDT with winds around 80 miles per hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Officials advised New Jersey, New York City and CT to brace for Hermine.

The track of Hermine as it heads north Sunday remains uncertain and complicated. Warnings have been set up for boats, swimmers and businesses along the coast of New Jersey and NY.

Beachgoers will likely face a moderate or greater risk for risky rip currents throughout the Labor Day weekend.

Tropical storm watches and warnings were declared along the East Coast, from SC to CT. This includes counties of Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cape May and Eastern Burlington.

Tropical storm warnings in the bay are at a line from Drum Point at the mouth of the Patuxent River south, and include all of St. Mary’s County and part of the Potomac River up to Cobb Island.