Advice now: Keep aware, top off hurricane kits
A tropical wave that storm forecasters have been watching near South America for possible development -- and impacts to the Gulf Coast -- has formed full tropical characteristics and been named Tropical Depression Nine as of 5 a.m. Friday.
It's five-day forecast includes strengthening to Tropical Storm, then Hurricane Hermine, and impacting Florida starting the middle of next week.
While storm forecasts can change at four and five days out, the current National Hurricane Center projection brings the center of the storm near the southwest Florida coast as a Category 2 storm with 110 mph maximum sustained winds early Wednesday morning. The News-Gazette and AroundOsceola.com will update new with each new NHC advisory, which come out at 11 and 5 a.m. and p.m., with intermediate updates at 2 and 8 a.m. and p.m. when watches or warnings are posted for any land areas.
The best advice now is to stay weather aware, and make sure your personal and family hurricane kits are up to date.
Osceola County Emergency Management has a comprehensive list of what should be in that kit, and links to more, at: https://www.osceola.org/agencies-departments/emergency-management/hurricane-center/
Meanwhile, some 900,000 people in Puerto Rico are still without power after Hurricane Fiona struck the island a week ago.
