[Update 1:00 PM 08/31/2016] Hurricane Hunter aircraft confirmed that the weather system in the Gulf of Mexico known as Tropical Depression 9 had intensified to Tropical Storm strength. The system was given the name Hermine by the National Hurricane Center. This is the  8th named storm of the 2016 Hurricane Season.

 

[Original Story 4:00 AM 8/31/2016] By this time today many forecasters had projected Tropical Depression 9 would have earned a name as a tropical storm. That is still not the case as of the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center.

The system, according the update, still had maximum sustained winds just below the tropical storm threshold of 39 MPH. The prognostication from the Hurricane Center does call for TD 9 to become a tropical storm by later today.

Tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches have been posted for much of the Big Bend of Florida. Should the storm follow the projected time and intensity track it could be a strong tropical storm or minimal hurricane by the time it makes landfall sometime Thursday evening or early Friday morning.

The tropical forecast models are almost all in agreement that a Florida landfall is the most likely place for the storm system to move over the coastline.

Here are the latest stats on the storm system as of the 4 AM advisory.

LOCATION...24.5N 88.1W
ABOUT 405 MI...655 KM SSW OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA
ABOUT 425 MI...680 KM SW OF TAMPA FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...35 MPH...55 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 360 DEGREES AT 2 MPH...4 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1004 MB...29.65 INCHES

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