Hurricane Hermine Will Hit A Number Of Big Cities

In the Southeast, it's hurricane season, and Hurricane Hermine doesn't plan on letting any of you forget it. As Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina hunker down in preparation for the fierce storm, people who live in or have loved ones in the area might wonder: Which cities will Hurricane Hermine affect?

According to one map from Weather.com, it looks like Hermine will be felt the strongest in Tampa, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee, Florida; in Albany and Savannah, Georgia; in Charleston, South Carolina; and in Wilmington and Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. To a lesser extent, cities further north will feel her wrath as well — Norfolk, Virginia and even Atlantic City, New Jersey are under a tropical storm watch.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency on Thursday morning as details of the then-tropical storm's path were reported by meteorologists. The governors of North Carolina and Georgia issued states of emergency for the counties in Hermine's path as well. On Thursday night, Hermine was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane, making the warnings much more serious.

On Wednesday, Hermine hit the St. Petersburg, Florida, area, causing massive flooding as she moved upward and began garnering winds of up to to 80 miles per hour.

What to expect from Hermine varies based on the region, and you should certainly check your local news sources for region-specific information. According to Pacific Standard , the Gulf Coast area of Florida can expect up to 9 feet of flooding that decreases as one moves inland, and all of northwest Florida can expect 5 to 10 inches of rain within the next 24 hours. If rains reach that intensity, it will make the flooding from Hermine on par with the insane floods in Louisiana last month.

According to USA Today, Hermine's landfall marks the first time since 2005 that Florida has been hit by a hurricane, ending a whopping 3,965 day record. Surprisingly, I actually agree with Gov. Scott in his assessment of the situation:

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.

As Hermine travels north, it's expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic region as well, and may pass over Washington, D.C. and even the North Atlantic region on its path. While many are resigned to changing their Labor Day weekend beach plans, the course of Hermine is ever-changing. Staying up-to-date about local weather, especially for those of us (like myself) who live in or near the areas where Hermine is landing, is crucial while this massive storm slams the East Coast.