Hermine Makes Landfall in Florida: Leaves 100,000 Without Power Now The Tropical Storm is Heading to Georgia and the Carolinas

Hurricane Hermine slammed into Florida, unleashed 80mph winds, 12ft storm surges and up to 20 inches of rain. Now, the Tropical Storm is heading for Georgia and the Carolinas.

• Hermine will continue to impact Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas through Friday night.
• Heavy rain, strong winds, tornadoes and storm surge flooding continue to be threats.
• Hermine made landfall at about 1:30 a.m. EDT Friday near St. Marks, Florida.
• A tornado watch is also in effect until 4 p.m. EDT for coastal portions of Georgia, South Carolina and southeast North Carolina.

See below for footage and reports.

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Hurricane Hermine is the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in eleven years. Hermine made landfall as a Category One hurricane, and landed in the Big Bend, the mostly rural and lightly populated coastal area where the Florida peninsula meets the Panhandle.

The crushing, ‘life-threating’ weather system weakened to a tropical storm as it came into Georgia; but, the wind gusts are still roughly around 70 mph. The massive storm – which has knocked out power for more than 132,000 people – is then expected to push further into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast as a tropical storm, with the potential for heavy rain and flooding.

Speaking before the hurricane struck, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said: ‘The most important thing we all must put in our minds is that this is life threatening.

‘We have not had a hurricane in years, people have moved here, and we have visitors.’

‘You can rebuild a home, you can rebuild property, you cannot rebuild a life,’ he said, adding: ‘We are going to see a lot of flooding.’

Hermine will likely become a non-tropical low by this weekend and will hover near or off the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast seaboard, potentially resulting in high winds, coastal flooding, and other impacts. A tropical storm watch is now in effect as far north as coastal parts of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland as well as the Virginia Tidewater since the low may still have significant impacts.

As of 8 AM Friday Morning: Tropical Storm Hermine was centered about 35 miles northeast of Valdosta, Georgia.