Tropical Storm 'Hermine' Advances In Florida With 'A Mind Of Its Own'

Tropical Storm Hermine is predicted to enter Big Bend area in Florida on Thursday. Tropical storm warning, hurricane watch and storm surge warning were in effect in the area since Wednesday.

The tropical depression in the Gulf has strengthened into Tropical Storm #Hermine. Updates: https://t.co/v5UpdrpOrE

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) August 31, 2016

According to Washington Post, a storm surge is the biggest risk that could hit the coast. It could also trigger heavy rains and flooding in inland areas. Isolated tornadoes are also threats as the storm comes surging the area. On the other hand, storm Hermine seems to be uncertain and hard to forecast.

Thomas Downs, a meteorologist with Weatherbell Analytics stated that some certain weather events in the middle latitudes are making Hermine especially difficult to precisely predict. "This storm especially is one that has a mind of its own." He further said that the science of meteorology hasn't really caught up to quite the way hurricanes intensify and interact and that's quite frankly why we're seeing this right now.

At the moment, they don't know how weak or powerful Hermine will get and how wide it will grow. Mr. Downs stated that it could be small enough to damage the Jersey Shore but leave New York untouched or a big as the 943-mile Hurricane Sandy that hit the U.S, in 2012, according to Science Alert.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center said recently that Hermine's maximum sustained winds had reached 75 miles per hour, which is already a hurricane strength. The warning was in effect for an area stretching from near Panama City Beach in the Panhandle to the Suwannee River. Hermine is expected to make landfall at around 1 A.M. Friday. It is also expected that Hurricane Hermine will bring storm surges of between three feet and 12 feet in certain counties and drop as much as 20 inches of rain, according to New York Times.

Gov. Rick Scott declared emergencies for 51 Florida counties. He urged people from Jacksonville to Tampa to seek shelter and confirm their phones were charged. He also reminds the people to have sufficient food, water and medicine. There are also 6,000 Florida National Guard troops that will be ready to respond to emergencies and needs. The evacuations were also prepared in coastal towns and shelters were opened across northern Florida.