Center Of Hermine Moving Into North Carolina; Dangerous Storm Surge Expected
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The center of Hermine is moving into North Carolina and a dangerous storm surge is expected.
The storm made landfall in the Florida's Big Bend area overnight as a Category 1 hurricane. It has since weakened as it continues its trek over land.
At 11 p.m. the center of the system was about 30 miles west-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Maximum sustained winds are sitting at 50 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles, mainly to the south and east of the center.
Hermine is moving toward the northeast near 22 mph and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed through Saturday night. A gradual turn toward the north is expected on Sunday. On the forecast track, the center of Hermine should move across eastern North Carolina tonight and emerge over the Atlantic on Saturday.
Strengthening is forecast after the center moves offshore, and Hermine could be near hurricane intensity by late Sunday.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Edisto Beach to Sandy Hook
* Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds
* Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point southward
* Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island eastward
* Delaware Bay
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
* North of Sandy Hook to west of Watch Hill
Tropical storm conditions will continue to spread northward within the warning area along the Atlantic coast through Sunday.
Related: Hermine Roars Ashore On Florida's Gulf Coast
The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.
Hermine is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches from east-central to eastern North Carolina, far southeast Virginia into the coastal sections of the Delmarva peninsula and coastal southern New Jersey through Sunday.
Heavy rains may affect coastal northern New Jersey and Long Island Sunday night into early Monday. Rainbands well to the south of Hermine may produce additional isolated rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches over north Florida tonight into early Saturday.
A tornado or two remains possible overnight across the North Carolina Outer Banks.
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