bringing wind and rain to the area, especially along the coastline. it will be the first hurricane to make landfall in florida in nearly 11 years. we have team coverage from across the bay area for you tonight. let's get started with chief meteorologist steve. >> it certainly has picked up forward speed. stationary. but getting caught up on the upper level trough, should come toeshoe in the panhandle this evening. we have the possibility of strong thunderstorms. looking outside right now, 83 degrees with a south wind occasion occasionally south of 25. we're feeling effects to the eastern side of it. the seas are up but doesn't look too high at this location. of course, the high tide occurred around midday today.

from the national hurricane center with that north to northeasterly moving north at 15. barely a hurricane, category 1. expect it to come ashore there in the hurricane warning highlighted in red area. south of there, a tropical storm warning for the effects. we talked about occasional strong wind gusts, especially toward the center. but also the tide effects. we've been talking about the high tides. it moves quickly to the northeast. these are the warnings. a to sarasota county. coastal manatee county, sarasota. includes all the way up to citrus county and hillsboro and pinellas county. the hurricane warning would be further north. this is a tornado watch in place. you can see the red area indicating hillsboro county, pinellas county, and polk county northward. but look offshore there. that's a nasty line of thunderstorms. within these areas, that justifies the tornado watch. we can see the wind sheer rotation that may include the

you may have seen us on the air earlier. it's bands off the center where you'll find a lot of sheer and potentially tornadoes. that will come ashore here in pinellas county within 15 minutes to a half hour. this is where we're looking for high winds but also the possibility of a tornado. it's always remarkable to see a tropical storm in the gulf of mexico, just west of the bay area. you can see that center of location really coming and now clearly a formed eye as a category 1 hurricane taking aim. we're on the eastern side. we have to watch our high tides coming up at 3:00 in the morning up and down the west coast of florida. about that early morning tide. and then tomorrow afternoon, a southwesterly flow. we've seen tidal flooding today because of the high tides. perhaps with a stronger southwesterly wind, we could see higher in the overnight period. guys? >> hermine getting our

slapping from time to time. high tides sent water surging over the beach onto the road and right into people's front. this was while they were patrolling flooded streets. we learned the marshall street waste water treatment plant in clearwater has shut down because of the storm. waste water is overflowing over manholes. we'll have up at 6:00. water is covering the streets, trapping people in their homes in st. petersburg. police shut down roadways and fire crews had to rescue one mother and daughter from their home. candace mccowan joins us from pinellas county. and candice, there are many people stranded. >> reporter: -- candace, there are many people stranded. >> reporter: absolutely. here in st. petersburg. lake maggiore behind us.

here. all these people in these homes down here, they're stranded and stuck. and the thought of it getting any worse was too much for one family to take. >> i couldn't go to work. i couldn't get out. >> reporter: that's when denise knew it was time to call for help. st. petersburg fire rescue not driving their truck through this water. insteainthis high water storm water truck. they drove down pallanza drive and then came back with two dogs and her >> we don't know what went on, baby. i was a nervous wreck, y'all. i am glad he came and got us. >> reporter: she's going to her daughter's nearby home, telling us the water only seems to get closer and higher. the high water truck going to get denise. >> just calm down and keep the lord first. >> reporter: when did you realize how bad it was? >> this morning i didn't know it was that bad. then it was running over down here.

it out fast enough. >> reporter: back here along mlk street, there's people here who have been warning us about the fact they've spotted alligators in this water, warning us to stay out and keeping many people who live nearby out of the water as well. jen? >> then i'll make this quick. fire rescue has advice for others. >> reporter: absolutely. they're telling people if you think your home, street may be flooded, go ahead and get out now. their resources may be tied up la earlier the better. jen? >> reporter: now you get out of the water, too. candace mccowan live in pinellas county. thank you. just north of the bay area are really taking a beating. >> reporter: we sent jeff patterson up to cedar key with the storm right in the thick of things. we can see the wind even behind you now, jeff. we saw your reports earlier. you've experienced a lot

we've seen pretty strong gusts of wind here. i have my handheld wind meter here. i've been keeping an eye on the wind gusts. it's sustained at 20 to 25 miles per hour. i did see one gust above 25 miles per hour. we saw a gust above 30 miles per hour earlier. we are seeing pretty high winds in cedar key. there's a mandatory evacuation order the approach out to cedar key, a long, 20-mile approach was covered by water just a few minutes ago. we have been keeping a close eye on things here. the water behind us going down. i do want to show you some video we shot maybe an hour, hour or so ago when the water was much higher here. we understand low tide tonight in this area will be at 9:30 p.m. the high tide is expected to be around 2:30 a.m.

position of hurricane hermine and that high tide will be very important for people here in cedar key. a lot of people are sheltering in their places here despite the evacuation order. we've seen this before. we saw people picking up provisions, getting ready for the storm. but not necessarily evacuating from their homes. of course, we are keeping a very close eye on conditions to make sure we're safe, our trucks are safe, our crew is safe. and we'll keep you back to you guys. >> all right. >> really -- it's interesting to see it picking up out there. be safe, jeff. jeff patterson live from cedar key. we appreciate it. the sunshine skyway remains shutdown due to hurricane hermine. not a car in sight here. we'll let you know what happens here as we go forward. if the bridge reopens, we'll let you know about that. but for now, the sunshine skyway, closed. torrential rain has taken its

things aren't expected to improve until friday. and now from lido beach in sarasota county is john. john? >> reporter: good evening, keith. over the past hour or so, the winds have really picked up here. there's a no swim advisory here all across the county. it's easy to say why. at some points, water over in the parking lot. and also sewage issues. [ wind and rainfall ] >> reporter: hurricane hermine made its presence known in sarasota. now the county is soaked. many low-lying roads are now underwater. not only is it causing traffic headaches but waste water plants to work overtime. they're designed to hold 14 million gallons of water per day. over the last 24 hours, that has doubled. >> we can expect waste water spills in some cases. backups at home.

operating properly to keep that from happening. >> reporter: in the meantime, beaches across the county have no swim advisories. sadly, locals say the rising waters have washed away some sea turtle nests. >> we also saw a lot of dead sea turtles today. that was really heartbreaking. the past month, we've been watching them, watching over the nests. >> reporter: the gulf is just too dangerous. but that didn't stop some onlookers. >> well, we just moved down here last year. so this is our first, like, big storm. and so [ giggle ] >> reporter: and some people are trying to take advantage of this. you can see a surfer right now. you can see some kite surfers out there. there's still a life guard on duty just in case. officials are urging people to restrict their water usage. they want people to avoid using the dishwasher, washing machine. also avoid taking long showers because every little bit helps to prevent a sewage backup. keith? >> how long does that restriction stay in place, john?

>> reporter: for now, a day. they're saying 24 hours because even after the storm passes through, the ground is still saturated. the water is trying to get to the gulf. so we could still see a lot of flooding issues, keith. >> reporter: john is live in sarasota county where the wind is blowing and the rain continues to fall. sarasota schools will be open tomorrow flooding or not. hillsboro, pasco, and hernando county schools will be closed. breakdown of hurricane hermine, including all the school closings on our home page. check it out. they had to flee their homes when raw sewage flooded in. >> and that was weeks before today's flooding. now it's even worse. >> coming up, shannon exposes how the city of largo failed these families not once but

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hurricane hermine is bringing some soaking rain and high winds to pasco county. the sheriff's office tweeted this video with the comment, you could say it's raining. again, we've learned all pasco schools and offices will be closed tomorrow due to flooding and possible high wind conditions. by the way, we wa pictures and videos from hermine. you can upload them to our newschannel 8 app. >> it's strange depending on where you are. it looks okay here. but if you're in parts of pasco, coastline, pinellas -- >> yeah. >> -- it's a mess! >> breezy, a few showers over here. but when you're talking about the gulf of mexico, being near the beaches, close to the

lightning strikes but very intense winds. ening see how they spiral off the center of hurricane hermine which a category 1 hurricane just to the west. you can see that intense line coming onshore now. that's a bright red color. these are the areas that really produce strong wind gusts and possible rotation. that area right there. so that's about to come onshore in pinellas county, manatee county. these areas we watch for the possibility. especially of tornadoes. that's why that tornado watch is in effect until 11:00 p.m. tonight. stuff like this. and then another one here to the west. you can see these lines are set off the center. these can be -- i've been in my hurricanes and tropical storms. a lot of wind sheer in the lines as these come onshore. it's raining and that's what's happening right on the coastline. light to moderate stuff. further inland, not much happening. but a bit of a breeze today. you can see heavier showers across hillsboro county. these things have been moving at 35, 40 miles per hour this

the wind sheer. plus, a tropical storm warning goes along. watch that line here the next 15 minutes to a half hour as it comes onshore. additional rainfall. this is an estimate from a computer model. it gives you an idea. through friday at 8:00 p.m., we could pick up a couple inches of rain. possibly 2 inches in the inland areas. at 7:00 a.m., 77 degrees. 85 at 4:00 p.m. for tomorrow. but watching those high tides at 3:00 in the morning and again at 3:00 in the afternoon. winds at 28 miles per hour in sarasota. 32 winds are especially strong on the beaches. these are 40 mile-per-hour gusts. that's at tropical storm strength in sarasota. 39 at the international airport in tampa.

but this hurricane sitting just back to our west. and we're with the counterclockwise rotation. the onshore flow which is why we're concerned with high tides the next 24 hours in the morning and afternoon because of that wind direction southwesterly. but it gives you a big picture and reminds you that tropical weather can happen in the gulf of mexico and hurricanes can come onshore in florida despite it's been 11 years. an incredibly drought. if you missed this top of the newscast, 75 mile-per-hour winds for hermine. could come ashore midnight tonight. that's where the hurricane warning is in effect. the water issues to the right of this track. to the east of it. that's why the concern is for possible storm surge but greater degree, closer to the center of the hurricane itself. as we see here with the forecast winds to the national

yellow is tropical storm force winds. we've seen them all the way down to sarasota county in gusts. so these tropical storm force winds are prevalent. that's where you see those tropical systems intensify. that drops. and for the tide for tomorrow with the southwesterly flow with the high tide, that's one of our big concerns as well. despite the big tornadoes we have in the forecast. our forecast continues to move th overnight. so it can rain overnight. watch the high tides. i think i've said that three times already. 60% chance for friday and saturday. especially favoring coastal and northern areas. getting into the weekend, especially sunday, monday. labor day, more of a typical pattern. >> if you've been cheated when you need help, she's on your side. better call bacon. so how much more can these homeowners take? they've had raw sewage back

problem. they knew they better call beckman for help. melissa beckman here. this isn't just a hazard but comes down to safety and health. >> they have been waiting for this three weeks, keith! just when they thought it couldn't get worse, it did! >> this is the remnants of my life. here's my dishes and my pots and pans -- >> reporter: laura ball has lived like this with her torn apart, pieces of her life scattered on the floor for three long weeks. >> just yesterday i was at the point where i was, like, throw it away! that's where i'm at. throw it away. what will you do? >> reporter: this after she and her neighbors discovered their homes flooded with at least three inches of raw sewage water. they found waste, toilet paper, and roaches on the floor. the city of largo admits they

nearby and caused this backup. >> i want them to fix my house. and i mean fix it the way it was before it started. >> reporter: the city has paid for some work although progress is painfully slow. and now ball points to this storage unit out front as another failure by the city. pictures and heirlooms she managed to save were stashed here. and then when flood water from hurricane hermine came, it gushed inside the pod. >> two feet. you can see where >> reporter: the water and more sewage flooded her home again. she blames the city for this, too, saying her home has never flooded in more than 20 years. >> we can only handle this street on a good storm. >> reporter: i called the city for solutions to protect these homes from more rain. but i found the people with answers took the day off. >> reporter: that's inconvenient for these residents, you know, that are

and now city hall is closed and, you know, where's the city when you need them? they don't have any answers. >> reporter: meanwhile ball continues to wait for the city to step up. >> and they don't care! that's the way i feel. they just don't care. >> reporter: most the city leaders i tried to contact today weren't working. but i kept calls and got in touch with the environmental services department. they sent a supervisor to do modifications to the pumping system. and that slowed the flow of the waste water and hopefully will keep that sewage away from these homes. >> won't bring those valuable pictures back she lost and the other things. but where have they been staying? >> the city is keeping them in a hotel right now. but they've been there three weeks. one bedroom. we're talking a family with a 3- year-old son and a dog and they're all crammed in a one bedroom hotel. they're ready to get out of there. and in one house, they haven't even started in the ininterior work.

domino, domino. hopefully they can return this to normal for these folks soon. you better call beckman if you have a problem. she's on it for you! mosquitoes test positive for siplin castrias. we'll -- for zika. we'll tell you where. >> the testing underway when a space vessel exploded twice

hillary clinton: i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. bob kidder, owner, new england shirt company: this factory has been here since eighteen eighty-three. we have over sixty people here making shirts labled made in america. but donald trump's brand of shirts come from china, his suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products have been made in twelve other countries because he says

again while he's taking the shirts right off our backs. we are getting new video of an explosion this morning at the spacex launch site in cape canaveral. it's incredible. they were testing an unmanned rocket when an explosion happened.

routine tests were in advance of a planned saturday launch. fortunately, no one was injured in this accident. three mosquitoes in south florida tested positive for the zika virus. they were trapped in the miami beach area. these are the first mosquitoes in the continental u.s. to test positive for zika. so far, most of them are concentrated in that miami-dade county. there's one none have been found in the bay area, though. coming up, lightning strike knocked out power to a pasco hospital. so what are the patients supposed to do? we're live with the answers coming up. >> and florida's capital city directly in the line of hurricane hermine. we're getting the latest updates from tallahassee's emergency operation center

right now on newschannel 8 newschannel 8 at 5:30. >> for the first time in more than a decade, a hurricane is about to make landfall in florida. and roads are starting to flood throughout the bay area. >> and winds are picking up near the coast whipping fiercely and bending trees with ease. >> and take a live look at the strong waves hitting the coast of panama city! good evening i'm jennifer lee. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> people in the bay area are really starting to buckle down now. steve jerve joins us now. there's a new warning in the bay area? >> it'll be a potential for a tornado warning with the nasty line of thundershowers coming off hermine. we'll update you on that. a category 1 rricane with 75