Hermine Is 1st Hurricane to Make Landfall in Florida Since 2005
- Hermine downgraded to tropical storm as it moves across state
- Danger of life-threatening surge and flooding rains remain
Residents survey the rising water in Holmes Beach, Florida on Sept. 1.
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Hermine, the first hurricane to strike Florida since 2005, has weakened to a tropical storm as it moves inland, after threatening soy and cotton crops and leaving large swaths of the region at risk of blackouts.
Hermine’s top winds were at 70 miles (110 kilometers) an hour on Friday, after weakening from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory at 5 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The storm earlier made landfall near Saint Marks, Florida, and its center was about 50 miles northeast of Tallahassee on Friday morning, the weather service said.