Floridians Facing First Hurricane In Over A Decade

Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico early Thursday, and forecasters said they expected it to hit Florida with hurricane-force winds and a dangerous storm surge. If Hermine makes landfall as a category one hurricane, as expected, it will be the first in Florida in 11 years, since Hurricane Wilma struck the sunshine state in 2005. The storm churned over warm Gulf waters, packing 60 mph winds that extended for some 125 miles, as forecasters issued a hurricane watch for a section of Florida’s Gulf Coast that stretched from the northern outskirts of Tampa to the coastal area south of Pensacola.