11 Years After, a Powerful Hurricane Will Invade Florida

After 11 long years, a very powerful hurricane will make a landfall in the state of Florida. From previously a tropical storm Hermine, it now turns as a hurricane with its maximum sustained winds increased to 120 km/hr.

NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite spotted the tropical storm and noticed "intense weather conditions in Hermine's center," according to the agency's officials, Live Science reports.

According to CNN, mandatory evacuation notices are already issued to areas in the Gulf Coast, especially those that are in lower-lying areas and are on water. Meanwhile, a lone county advised their people to stay indoors after 9 p.m.

Popular Science reported that Florida governor Rick Scott already declared Florida on a state of emergency as the state prepares for the onslaught of the hurricane and its accompanying effects such as heavy rains, high and dangerous winds, storm surge that might result to coastal flooding, and in the central state, even tornadoes are expected. Forecasters warned that "surge of ocean water" might go up to 9 feet or higher than normal levels due to the hurricane's onslaught.

The governor already cautioned the people about the possible life-threatening effects of the hurricane such as storm surge, CNN reports.

"This is life-threatening," Gov. Rick Scott told reporters in Tallahassee, the capital. "The storm surge, by itself, is life-threatening."

In an article posted in Popular Science, even though Hermine is moving north across the state, forecasters advised the residents of Florida that should not just take note of this projected path of the hurricane because Hermine is an "extremely asymmetric storm" that there is still a possibility that it will bring damages to the east and south of the storm.

But how do tropical storm becomes a hurricane?

According to this website, if only the tropical storm's strong winds reach to 64 knots (kts), that's the only time that it can now officially be called a hurricane. When the conditions are right, the hurricane can go faster and faster, thus getting stronger and stronger. Such conditions to consider are warm ocean water and weak winds that are in high levels of the atmosphere. A hurricane however can still be weakened once it touches the land, although a hurricane will die once it moves over to cool waters.