TAMPA, Fla -- Winds from strengthening Hurricane Hermine lashed at Florida's northern Gulf Coast late on Thursday, forcing residents to evacuate some coastal areas and stock up on provisions ahead of what the state's governor warned would be a lethal storm.

Hermine, expected to be the first hurricane to make landfall in the state in more than a decade, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, N.J.

Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 season around midafternoon when its sustained winds reached 75 mph. Located about 85 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., late afternoon, it was expected to make landfall early on Friday.

Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet. Isolated tornadoes were forecast.

After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida and voluntary evacuations were in place in at least three more counties.

"This is life threatening," Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. "You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life."

In coastal Franklin County, people on barrier islands and low-lying areas on the shore were being evacuated.

"Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down," said Pamela Brownlee, the county's director of emergency management.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma in 2005, the hurricane center said.

Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing electric line repair crews on standby ahead of the storm.

The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, which includes the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed.

At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches over the dock at high tide on Thursday afternoon, before slowly receding.

"If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren't going to matter out here," he said, ready to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water pushed boats dangerously close to the roof. "It'd be pretty catastrophic."

On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods there.

Still, many people in Florida, whose population has swelled since the last hurricane struck, saw Hermine less as a threat than entertainment.

Manatees on the Bay, a restaurant and bar on the waterfront in the Tampa Bay region, was offering storm drink specials including beer and shots.

"We thought about doing a hurricane," said owner Perry Murphree, referring to the name of a popular sweet cocktail. "But I don't want to tempt fate." </s> TAMPA, Fla. -- Winds from strengthening Hurricane Hermine lashed at Florida's northern Gulf Coast late on Thursday, forcing residents to evacuate some coastal areas and stock up on provisions ahead of what the state's governor warned would be a lethal storm.

Hermine, expected to be the first hurricane to make landfall in the state in more than a decade, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, N.J.

Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 season around midafternoon when its sustained winds reached 75 mph. Located about 85 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., late afternoon, it was expected to make landfall early on Friday.

Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet. Isolated tornadoes were forecast.

After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags.

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida and voluntary evacuations were in place in at least three more counties.

"This is life threatening," Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. "You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life."

In coastal Franklin County, people on barrier islands and low-lying areas on the shore were being evacuated.

"Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down," said Pamela Brownlee, the county's director of emergency management.

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma in 2005, the hurricane center said.

Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing electric line repair crews on standby ahead of the storm.

The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, which includes the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed.

At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches over the dock at high tide on Thursday afternoon, before slowly receding.

"If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren't going to matter out here," he said, ready to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water pushed boats dangerously close to the roof. "It'd be pretty catastrophic."

On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods there.

Still, many people in Florida, whose population has swelled since the last hurricane struck, saw Hermine less as a threat than entertainment.

Manatees on the Bay, a restaurant and bar on the waterfront in the Tampa Bay region, was offering storm drink specials including beer and shots.

"We thought about doing a hurricane," said owner Perry Murphree, referring to the name of a popular sweet cocktail. "But I don't want to tempt fate." </s> CEDAR KEY, Fla. — People on Florida's Gulf coast stocked up on supplies Thursday and some set out sandbags as they braced for Tropical Storm Hermine, which forecasters said could strike land as a hurricane.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Florida's Big Bend from the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach. And on the East Coast, a tropical storm warning was issued for an area extending from Marineland, Fla., northward to the South Santee River in South Carolina.

Georgia's governor declared a state of emergency for 56 counties through Saturday, in anticipation of high water and strong winds.

Hermine's maximum sustained winds Thursday morning were near 65 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hermine was likely to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane when it lands in Florida on Thursday night or early Friday.

As of 10 a.m. Thursday, Hermine was centered about 220 miles west of Tampa, Fla., and was moving north-northeast near 14 mph.

Residents in some low-lying communities in Florida were being asked to evacuate Thursday as the storm approached. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that emergency management officials in Franklin County have issued a mandatory evacuation notice for people living on St. George Island, Dog Island, Alligator Point and Bald Point. Residents in other low-lying, flood-prone areas were also being asked to evacuate.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered state government offices in 51 counties to close at noon Thursday. The order included the state capital of Tallahassee, home to tens of thousands of state workers. The city, roughly 35 miles from the coast, has not had a direct hit by hurricane in 30 years. </s> Growing winds and driving rain from Hurricane Hermine lashed Florida’s northern Gulf Coast early on Friday as power outages left tens of thousands of households in the dark in what the state’s governor warned would be a potentially lethal storm.

Conditions deteriorated as Hurricane Hermine was making landfall, packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) with several areas in Florida already reporting 5 inches (12 cm) of rain and media reported about 270,000 households had been left without power.

“It is a mess…we have high water in numerous places,” Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel. “I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don’t recall anything this bad.”

Hurricane Hermine packed a dangerous storm surge that was expected to cause 9 feet (3 m) of flooding in some areas, as rising waters move inland from the coast, the National Hurricane Center warned in an advisory.

Hermine, expected to become the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people.

“Hurricane Hermine is strengthening fast and it will impact the majority of our state,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a late-evening bulletin.

The National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida on Friday as the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic storm season. By 11 p.m. EDT, maximum winds were listed at 80 mph (130 kph), with hurricane-force winds extending up to 45 miles (75 km) from the storm’s center.

Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches (51 cm) of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet (3.6 meters).

After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic.

The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags.

Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida’s 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida, with voluntary evacuations in at least three more counties. Twenty emergency shelters were opened across the state for those displaced by the storm.

“This is life-threatening,” Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life.”

In coastal Franklin County, people were being evacuated from barrier islands and low-lying shore areas.

“Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down,” said Pamela Brownlee, the county’s emergency management director.

Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing utility repair crews on standby ahead of the storm.

The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, home to the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed.

At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches (15 cm) over the dock at high tide on Thursday, before slowly receding.

“If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren’t going to matter out here,” he said, preparing to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water took boats dangerously close to the roof.

On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of “life-threatening” floods and flash floods there. </s> Hurricane Hermine, the first hurricane to strike Florida in more than a decade, made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast early Friday morning, pummeling small seaside towns with powerful 80 mph winds and heavy rain.

The Category 1 hurricane crashed ashore early Friday near St. Marks, a tiny town with a population of less than 300, in the low-lying, marshy Big Bend area, where the state's peninsula meets the Panhandle.

In St. Marks, the storm surge flooded the Riverside Café, the Sweet Magnolia Inn and Bo Lynn’s Grocery, the community’s only grocery store. Yet it did not reach the post office as it did when Hurricane Kate swept through the region in 1983.

“It just came up like a torrent, like you’re on the river rapids,” said Denise Waters, owner of the Sweet Magnolia Inn, which began to fill with 18 inches of water around dusk Thursday night. Storm water pooled in all the lower rooms, damaging her etched-glass doors and baby grand piano, and leaving mud all over her baseboards.

“Oh boy, it’s a mess, for sure,” Waters said, as her husband, Andy, drove 15 miles to visit his 92-year-old mother, who had taken refuge in a hotel. “I don’t know what we’re going to do as she needs oxygen and all the hotels have lost power.”

After pounding through a mostly undeveloped area of Wakulla County, full of national wildlife refuges and forests, Hermine stormed on to the state’s capital of Tallahassee, which has a population of more than 181,000.

Hermine downed trees and tree limbs and knocked down power lines, blocking roads and cutting off power to more than 253,000 utility customers across Florida.

Yet there were few reports of fatalities or injuries. In Marion County in Central Florida, a homeless man was hit by a tree, but officials were waiting for the coroner to confirm the death was storm related.

At least 59 shelters were operational in Florida on Thursday night, serving approximately 300 people, the governor’s office said. The American Red Cross reported that five shelters were open in Georgia, sheltering 140 people.

“We got a little less rain that we thought,” said Florida Gov. Rick Scott in a Friday morning news briefing. “What I worry about now is people driving in standing water, people touching power lines… We need to be careful. By end of the day, hopefully a lot of this will be cleaned up.”

In Tallahassee, a tree fell on to Amy Park’s brick home about 11:45 p.m. Thursday night, creating a 10-by-10-foot hole in the middle of her living room and another in her kitchen. As rain poured through the roof, flooding her home, her husband and a friend emptied buckets through the night.

“We have six kids sleeping on mattresses in the hallway right now,” she said in an interview with local television station WCTV. “The house is actually flooding, so we’ve grabbed pillows, blankets, couch cushions, anything we can to try to stop flooding from coming into the hallway where the children are.”

As the hurricane traveled north, residents were urged to remain indoors and not travel unless absolutely necessary as crews from the Florida Department of Transportation cleared debris and fallen trees from roads.

A few hours after landfall, Hermine weakened into a tropical storm as it moved further inland toward Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 11 a.m. EDT, it was about 55 miles west-southwest of Savannah, Ga., with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Hermine is forecast to move up into the Carolinas late Friday and Saturday, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 175 miles from the center.

Tropical storm warnings has been extended northward, all the way up to Fenwick Island, Del. Major cities, such as New York City and Long Island, are now under a tropical storm watch.

A few hours after landfall, Hermine weakened into a tropical storm as it moved further inland toward Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 5 a.m., it was about 20 miles west of Valdosta, Ga., with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Hermine is forecast to move farther inland across southeastern Georgia on Friday and into the Carolinas on Friday night and Saturday, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 175 miles from the center.

Hermine is the first hurricane to strike the state since Wilma hit just south of Marco Island in southwest Florida in 2005, killing five people and causing $20 billion in damage.

Governors in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina have declared states of emergency in a swath of counties: Gov. Rick Scott for 51 Florida counties, Gov. Nathan Deal for 56 Georgia counties and Gov. Pat McCrory for 33 North Carolina counties.

Friday morning, the Weather Channel reported that 16 million people were under a tropical storm warning and 6 million were under a tropical storm watch.

As the National Weather Service in Tallahassee forecast a storm tide of up to 9 feet that could lead to flooding, mandatory evacuations were in effect across low-lying, coastal areas of Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties. Voluntary evacuations were issued along the coast of Walton, Gulf and Jefferson counties.

“We’re right in the target, directly in the bull’s-eye,” said Steve Spradley, director of emergency management for Florida’s Taylor County, as a slow, steady rain soaked his region in the bend of the panhandle. “It’s quiet. We’re just sitting and waiting and planning.” </s> Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened into a hurricane Thursday as it continued churning on a path toward Florida, US forecasters said.

At 1855 GMT, data from an Air Force hurricane hunter plane indicated that maximum sustained winds in Hermine were about 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

That would make it a Category One hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hermine is the fourth Atlantic hurricane of 2016.

The storm was located about 175 miles west of Tampa, Florida and moving north-northeast at 14 miles per hour.

A hurricane warning was in effect for northern Florida and authorities warned of potential strong winds and storm surges that could cause flooding.

"Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the warning area beginning tonight," the National Hurricane Center said.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."

With the tropical storm approaching, intensifying winds threaten to make outside preparations "difficult or dangerous," it added.

Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in 51 counties to free up resources to brace for the storm.

The center of Hermine is expected to be near the Florida coast in the warning area by late Thursday night or early Friday, forecasters said. </s> By Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy, From CNN

CNN)Hurricane Hermine made landfall early Friday in Florida with a furious mix of rain, whistling winds and surging waves — then weakened into a tropical storm as it wobbled toward Georgia.

 Hermine, which had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was the first hurricane to come ashore in Florida since Wilma struck 11 years ago.

 It made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend area, a part of the Gulf Coast where the state’s peninsula meets the Panhandle.

 In Tallahassee, more than 100,000 utility customers were without power as winds and rain lashed the city, according to the mayor’s office.

 Downgraded

 A few hours after landfall, Hermine had weakened into a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

 All hurricane watches and warnings were dropped, but tropical storm warnings remained for parts of the Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia and up through North Carolina.

 By dawn Friday, the tropical storm was 20 miles west of Valdosta, Georgia, and moving north at 14 mph, according to the hurricane center.

 “This motion is expected to continue today and Saturday,” the center said. “On the forecast track, the center of Hermine should continue to move farther inland across southeastern Georgia today and into the Carolinas tonight and Saturday.”

 Its maximum sustained winds decreased to 70 mph, with additional weakening forecast as it moves farther inland.

 ‘You cannot rebuild a life’

 After its short reign as a hurricane, it’s expected to spawn a few tornadoes in northern Florida and southern Georgia. A tornado watch was in effect for dozens of Florida and Georgia counties until 8 a.m. ET Friday.

 In Florida, life-threatening flooding remains a risk as rain has pounded the Gulf Coast since Wednesday. Forecasters say much more is in store.

 Hermine could bring up to 10 inches of additional rainfall to some places, including Tallahassee — with up to 15 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said.

 Several Florida counties issued mandatory evacuation notices for Gulf Coast communities on the water or in low-lying areas.

 Parts of Georgia also are expected to get up to 10 inches of rain over the weekend.

 Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday urged residents to heed warnings about the storm. “We have a hurricane. You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life.”

 Hurricane Hermine storms into Florida

 Photos: Hurricane Hermine storms into Florida

 Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches.

 Traffic moves along US 98 as Hurricane Hermine approaches Eastpoint, Florida, on September 1.

 Power crews with Pike Electric in South Carolina arrive in Carrabelle, Florida, on the Florida Gulf Coast as Hurricane Hermine approaches on September 1.

 Sunken and beached boats line the shoreline in Eastpoint, Florida, as Hurricane Hermine approaches.

 Residents of the Sandpiper Resort survey the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico into their neighborhood as winds and storm surge from Hurricane Hermine affect the area on Thursday, September 1, in Holmes Beach, Florida.

 Workers install storm shutters on a storefront as they prepare for Hurricane Hermine on September 1.

 A resident of the Sandpiper Resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, surveys the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Hermine.

 Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches.

 Traffic moves along US 98 as Hurricane Hermine approaches Eastpoint, Florida, on September 1.

 Power crews with Pike Electric in South Carolina arrive in Carrabelle, Florida, on the Florida Gulf Coast as Hurricane Hermine approaches on September 1.

 Sunken and beached boats line the shoreline in Eastpoint, Florida, as Hurricane Hermine approaches.

 Residents of the Sandpiper Resort survey the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico into their neighborhood as winds and storm surge from Hurricane Hermine affect the area on Thursday, September 1, in Holmes Beach, Florida.

 Workers install storm shutters on a storefront as they prepare for Hurricane Hermine on September 1.

 A resident of the Sandpiper Resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, surveys the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Hermine.

 Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches.

 He told residents not to drive into standing water and to avoid downed power lines, saying crews were working hard to ensure limited disruptions.

 “We have 6,000 members of the national guard ready to be mobilized,” he said.

 Scott declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties. He ordered all state offices in those 51 counties to close.

 Hours before landfall, Hermine was lashing Apalachicola, St. Petersburg and other cities.

A video posted by Joanna Crandell (@chica_de_aqua) on Sep 1, 2016 at 3:17pm PDT

The surge of ocean water could be as high as 9 feet above normal levels, forecasters said, as authorities warned its effect was not limited to Florida.

The storm is expected to deluge coastal Mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey, beginning early Saturday, the hurricane center said.

 The National Weather Service issued a new online product to help people prepare for the storm. The storm surge watch/warning graphic highlights spots with the highest risk for “life-threatening inundation from storm surge,” the service said.

 ‘Lock down the house and pray’

 In Apalachicola, on the Panhandle coast, contractors Lake Smith and Joshua Wolfhagen boarded up windows in a two-story brick building about 60 feet from the waterfront.

 “Storm (surge) is what got me worried right now,” Smith said. “Mostly worried about washing out the roads and a few of the homes in low-lying areas.”

 Eddie Bass, who owns a home in Alligator Point, said he wasn’t boarding it up despite worries about the storm surge.

 “It’s not much you can do. You just got to bring everything you can. Lock down the house and pray,” he said.

 In Panama City, a popular Labor Day destination, organizers canceled one of the major tourist draws, the Gulf Coast Jam. Officials said the stage for the three-day country music event had to be taken down as the winds picked up.

 Emergency management officials in Taylor County said mandatory evacuations were ordered for coastal communities. Nearby Wakulla County also had mandatory evacuations for low-lying areas.

 Franklin County, just southeast of Panama City, issued a mandatory evacuation order for the coastal towns of St. George Island, Dog Island, Bald Point and Alligator Point, the county’s emergency management office said.

 Zika concerns dismissed

 The storm may leave behind large areas of standing water, but one expert said it shouldn’t increase fears over the Zika virus.

“We associate severe rain events like tropical events and hurricanes with increases in nuisance mosquitoes, not disease-spreading (mosquitoes),” said Ben Beard of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 The type of mosquito that could potentially carry Zika is affected by heavy rain and flooding, which also washes away larvae from small breeding sites such as bird baths and flower pots.

 Nuisance mosquitoes will breed in water that remains standing after the storm passes.

In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for 56 counties.

 And in North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory issued a state of emergency for 33 eastern counties.

For more on this story go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/02/us/hurricane-hermine/ </s> Hurricane Hermine wreaked havoc across Florida on Friday, causing widespread power outages and flooding before diminishing into a tropical storm and plowing up the Atlantic Coast into the Carolinas with a still-potent mix of high winds and heavy rains.

 The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, Hermine swept ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas.

 Torrential downpours and high surf left parts of some communities under water early Friday, with mandatory evacuations ordered in parts of five northwestern Florida counties.

 State officials said electricity had been knocked out to nearly 300,000 homes and businesses by afternoon.

 One storm-related death was reported by authorities in the northern Florida town of Ocala, where a fallen tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent.

 Hermine was expected to snarl Labor Day holiday travel as it churned northeast for several more days after battering Florida’s $89 billion tourism industry.

 While maximum sustained winds had weakened to 50 mph (80 kph), the tempest headed to the Atlantic seaboard along a path inhabited by tens of millions of Americans, prompting storm watches and warnings as far north as Rhode Island.

 As of 9:00pm EDT (0100 GMT), the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was passing near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving some 51,000 power outages across the state, said state emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker.

 Becker said localised flooding hit low-lying areas across the state, and there were widespread reports of ‘downed power lines, downed trees, trees on cars and some flooded cars,’ along with isolated incidents of tree-damaged homes.

 One mobile home was virtually sliced in two by a fallen tree, but authorities had no reports of serious storm-related injuries or fatalities, Becker added.

 Likewise, emergency officials reported no storm deaths in Georgia, which Hermine swept through on its way to South Carolina, but said at least 100,000 utility customers were without power at one point.

 Emergency declarations remained in effect for all or parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.

 The storm was projected to creep north along the Carolina coast Friday night, then gather strength after moving offshore into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, possibly reaching near-hurricane intensity by late Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

 In addition to powerful winds extending up to 185 miles (295 km) from its center, Hermine was expected to unleash a dangerous storm surge in the Hampton Roads area of tidewater Virginia, where flooding could become 3 to 5 feet deep, the NHC warned.

 The storm also could douse several southeastern and mid-Atlantic states with up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain through Sunday, the agency said.

 New Jersey, still mindful of devastation from superstorm Sandy in 2012, was on high alert as emergency officials advised residents to prepare for flooding, high winds and a surge of seawater.

 New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday activated his state’s emergency operations center and ordered officials to stockpile resources, including sandbags and generators.

 New York City mayor Bill De Blasio said residents should avoid beach waters for fear of life-threatening riptides. ‘I say that to people who go the beach, I say that to surfers: Don’t even think about it,’ De Blasio told reporters.

 In Florida, concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battled an outbreak of the Zika virus.

 ‘It is incredibly important that everyone does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no matter how small,’ Florida governor Rick Scott told a news conference.

 Overnight, crews in Pasco County, Florida, rescued more than a dozen people after their homes were flooded.

 Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa, as emergency teams carried out a mandatory evacuation.

 ‘The canal started creeping up toward the house, and even though it wasn’t high tide it looked like it was coming inside,’ Jewett said. </s> Are you affected by Tropical Storm Hermine? If it's safe for you to do so, WhatsApp us on +44 7435 939 154 to share your photos, experiences and video. Please tag #CNNiReport in your message.

(CNN) Hurricane Hermine made landfall early Friday in Florida with a furious mix of rain, whistling winds and surging waves -- then weakened into a tropical storm as it wobbled toward Georgia.

Hermine, which had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was the first hurricane to come ashore in Florida since Wilma struck 11 years ago.

It made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend area, a part of the Gulf Coast where the state's peninsula meets the Panhandle.

In Tallahassee, more than 100,000 utility customers were without power as winds and rain lashed the city, according to the mayor's office.

A few hours after landfall, Hermine had weakened into a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

All hurricane watches and warnings were dropped, but tropical storm warnings remained for parts of the Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia and up through North Carolina.

By dawn Friday, the tropical storm was 20 miles west of Valdosta, Georgia, and moving north at 14 mph, according to the hurricane center.

"This motion is expected to continue today and Saturday," the center said. "On the forecast track, the center of Hermine should continue to move farther inland across southeastern Georgia today and into the Carolinas tonight and Saturday."

Its maximum sustained winds decreased to 70 mph, with additional weakening forecast as it moves farther inland.

After its short reign as a hurricane, it's expected to spawn a few tornadoes in northern Florida and southern Georgia. A tornado watch was in effect for dozens of Florida and Georgia counties until 8 a.m. ET Friday.

In Florida, life-threatening flooding remains a risk as rain has pounded the Gulf Coast since Wednesday. Forecasters say much more is in store.

Hermine could bring up to 10 inches of additional rainfall to some places, including Tallahassee -- with up to 15 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said.

Several Florida counties issued mandatory evacuation notices for Gulf Coast communities on the water or in low-lying areas.

Parts of Georgia also are expected to get up to 10 inches of rain over the weekend.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday urged residents to heed warnings about the storm. "We have a hurricane. You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life."

He told residents not to drive into standing water and to avoid downed power lines, saying crews were working hard to ensure limited disruptions.

"We have 6,000 members of the national guard ready to be mobilized," he said.

Hours before landfall, Hermine was lashing Apalachicola, St. Petersburg and other cities.

The surge of ocean water could be as high as 9 feet above normal levels, forecasters said, as authorities warned its effect was not limited to Florida.

The storm is expected to deluge coastal Mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey, beginning early Saturday, the hurricane center said.

'Lock down the house and pray'

In Apalachicola, on the Panhandle coast, contractors Lake Smith and Joshua Wolfhagen boarded up windows in a two-story brick building about 60 feet from the waterfront.

"Storm (surge) is what got me worried right now," Smith said. "Mostly worried about washing out the roads and a few of the homes in low-lying areas."

Eddie Bass, who owns a home in Alligator Point, said he wasn't boarding it up despite worries about the storm surge.

"It's not much you can do. You just got to bring everything you can. Lock down the house and pray," he said.

In Panama City, a popular Labor Day destination, organizers canceled one of the major tourist draws, the Gulf Coast Jam. Officials said the stage for the three-day country music event had to be taken down as the winds picked up.

Emergency management officials in Taylor County said mandatory evacuations were ordered for coastal communities. Nearby Wakulla County also had mandatory evacuations for low-lying areas.

The storm may leave behind large areas of standing water, but one expert said it shouldn't increase fears over the Zika virus.

"We associate severe rain events like tropical events and hurricanes with increases in nuisance mosquitoes, not disease-spreading (mosquitoes)," said Ben Beard of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The type of mosquito that could potentially carry Zika is affected by heavy rain and flooding, which also washes away larvae from small breeding sites such as bird baths and flower pots.

Nuisance mosquitoes will breed in water that remains standing after the storm passes.
Residents of the American state of Florida prepare for the impact of Hurricane Hermine which is expected to make landfall today. A state of emergency has been declared in 51 of the 67 counties in the state.