A tropical storm developing in the Gulf of Mexico could produce near hurricane-force winds by the time it makes landfall in Florida, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday. Tropical Storm Hermine, with winds gusting at 45 miles per hour (75 km), was forecast to strengthen before reaching Florida's northern Gulf Coast Thursday afternoon, and then sweep across northern parts of the state with pounding rains, then northeast along the Atlantic Coast. As the projected path jogged west, forecasters extended a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning to Destin, in Florida's Panhandle, and on to the Anclote River north of Tampa. Storm preparations were also under way in Hawaii, which was opening shelters and closing offices, schools and roads on Wednesday to prepare for Hurricane Madeline, which is expected to hit the southern part of the state’s Big Island hardest. Read more http://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-atlantic-idUSKCN11618M
