. >> josh benson, thank you. >>> and now to the tropics. we are near the peak of hurricane season and things are starting to heap up just a bit. our storm team 8 meteorologist latest. >> we have been talking about tropical storm fiona will probably not be a factor. we call it a fish storm. it will stay out to sea. it has not been a great environment and won't strengthen that much. here is where it is in relation to us. 45 miles an hour winds, the advisory in from the national hurricane center. moving to the west, northwest at 10 miles an hour. it is out there. you can see the forecast track. it will move depression long term. weakening at long term. we are starting to focus on other aspects of the tropics. a 50% chance of an area west of the location. it is moving out over the warmer water and has the potential to strengthen into a tropical system. this one, this advisory on 99l and invest continues to look at the full picture here. the spaghetti models over the development. moving in the westerly fashion is an interest to all of us as we w

here we >> good stuff. >> hey josh benson, what's up next? >> lost any hair recently? could be your shampoo. the brand under fire for hair >> right now on newschannel8 at 5:30. >> tonight on newschannel8, hair care or shampoo nightmare? thousands of women are losing their hair. the pricey products that seem to be backfiring. >> i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. >> tonight it is a hair care nightmare. thousands of women going bald and all of em in common. they claim it happened after using the popular shampoo wen. women across the u.s. including right here in tampa bay have shared stories of shame, anger and frustration after losing chunks of hair. a staggers 21,000 complaints have been lodged so far.

good evening, i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> we begin with breaking news. an update out of miami-dade county. a fire in a substation in miami county is just about out.

off a brand new standard version of the playstation h console alongside an upgraded version that josh benson will be ri of come christmas time. i don't know if you're going get three of them. >> vision goes way back. like atari days. >> atari i understand. yeah. >> we have a lot coming up at 5:30. bay area parents challenging state assessment tests. >>> a tiny child trapped in a boat in dark waters could have intervened. >>> right now on news channel 8 at 5:30. >>> parents from three bay area counties in a tal ha see courtroom today on behalf of their kids. challenging a state law that could force their third graders to be >>> i'm jen leigh. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> that story from the capitol tonight and state law requires that third graders who don't perform well on tests be held back and it is now under fire. parents from hernando, sarasota and another county are fighting back.

i'm josh benson. vyone. >> i'm je hollowayining us. this is the olympic zone. >> celebration is in order for team usa. it was a night filled with hugs, tears and a lot of gold. two big seats. the u.s. women's gymnastic team as well as michael phelps. >> let's take another look at the night. >> this group will make a name for themselves tonight one way or the other. ? [ music ] ? >> reporter: that is why they put madison on this team. >> it's like a steam roller. they come in and they just pile

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jenn holloway. team usa got off to a golden start in rio. symptom of the stars of the team capturing the gold to bring it home. >> american eight gold medals. it was the exciting race for the men's freestyle relay, an emotional michael phelps won his 19th gold medal. >> and the united states will win gold in the free relay again. >> in the semifinals of the 200 meter butterfly in a few hours.

i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being withtous night. >> let's get to an update on the breaking news involving the death of a baby in pinellas county. kathlene steele is charged in the death of her two week old daughter. steele left her children in her van for about half an hour while she went into a cell phone store. that is when her six-year-old her car seat and in the sheriff's words, pummeled her to death. the sheriff described it as one of the worst things he has ever seen. >> the baby was simply beaten, traumatized. gross swelling of outer space. the skull was cracked in numerous places described as mush. and there are some people out there ... >> right now, steele's other

but, in the meantime, josh benson is here with a look at what is coming up. >> a vaccine for the zika virus could come out of a florida state university lab. we will look at the progress researchers are making coming 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. suits from mexico, his coats from india. trump's products have been made in twelve other countries because he says there's no place in america that he can make them. well there is. you know donald trump says he'll make america great again while >> right now on newschannel8 59:30. >> a tampa woman uses her camera to catch a burglar in the act. >> good evening, i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. we will get to that story in a minute. >> but first, the big story on everyone's mind. me keeping an eye on tropical depression number 9. steve, what's the latest track? >> reporter: very similar, the cone is moving furt

josh benson is joining us now with the latest on all of this. >> reporter: in emails, there are a few examples of the clintons a department helping global initiative donors. those are potential violations day hillary clinton was in iowa, promising help for young entrepreneurs. linton and the wealthy are the focus of conservative initial watch your today, wells were released as a proof clinton foundation worked with secretary of state hillary clinton in potential violation of the law. one example of alleged conflict after a billionaire contributed to bill clinton's initiative, hillary's top state permit aid connected the donor to a state apartment specialist in lebanon where the billionaire did business. gop vice president shall nominate >> reporter: that is the old pay to play system. the american people are sick and tired of. >> donald trump is campaigning in coal country. >> we are going to put the minors back to work. >> reporter: he got hit by clinton for his urging unreactive it's to take on clinton.>> his casual inciting of violence, every single one of these incidents shows us

. >> josh benson, 5:30, what is happening? >> coming up at 5:3, fearful americans are hoping for a zika vaccine soon, but they may have to wait longer. and coming up, why the funding who is responsible? we will let you know. several american swimmers have shattered records. they are not done yet. we will take you in for another exciting night live from the >> right now on newschannel8 at 30 leigh. >> i'm josh benson. we begin with breaking news out of pasco county. depression under a home in hudson on mediterranean court. look at this. this is near the beacon woods golf club. right now, the hole is 25 to 30 feet in diameter. and the homeowners are out of town. we have a crew on the way there now. and we will bring you updates as soon as they come into the news center. >>> the number of zika virus

i'm josh benson, and i'm stacy and this is the olympic zone. the summer games are just starting to wind down. you're taking a life look at the olympic flame in de janeiro. the best athletes from across the globe are giving it all they have to win the gold for their countries. it may be an incredible night for the world east fastest man. and klarissa shield boxes for the gold. usain bolt returned to the track. and history is made on the wrestling mat. >> let's take a look back at the highlights from yesterday. no american woman has ever

. >> i'm josh benson. we begin with breaking news out of pasco county. depression under a home in hudson on mediterranean court. look at this. this is near the beacon woods golf club. right now, the hole is 25 to 30 feet in diameter. and the homeowners are out of town. we have a crew on the way there now. and we will bring you updates as soon as they come into the news center. >>> the number of zika virus florida. congress has not passed a bill. in fact, they are on vacation. president obama ordered millions to develop a vaccine. should congress get back to work? florida lawmakers are sounding off. >> reporter: where are the members of congress? summer vacation. as a result, no zika funding package has been passed. the inaction leaving political finger pointing and driving the obama administration to shift money from other programs to >> this should not be a political issue. this should be an issue we are largely united in. >> reporter: few doubt the urgency beyond party lines but health officials are reporting 400 travel related and 25 locally transmitt

. >> i found a josh benson, but it was up in jacksonville. another josh benson. >> i looked up all my families. i looked up your guys names. i was looking up everybody. >> if i use another that help? >> i think they might frown on that. >> somebody had $15,000, a good night for them. >>> pretty nice weather night too. >> it was a hot day. we ended up with 91 for a high at tia. east coast sea breeze taking its time, but it was worth it to get that picture from don in hudson tonight. thanks for sending it. coast of florida. the perseid meteor shower, this is tonight and tomorrow morning, probably your best option, obviously. but there's a lot of clouds around here, hopefully, they'll dissipate more to the sunrise hours. but going to be difficult with the clouds in place. but a very active one, largely because jupiter's gravitational pull is helping it pull towards earth. passing here, the tail of comet swift tutl on sunday. a very hot weekend ahead. we hope for the cooler showers and thunderstorms to drop the temperatures. rain still occurring

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being withtous night. >> let's get to an update on the breaking news involving the death of a baby in pinellas county. kathlene steele is charged in the death of her two week old daughter. steele left her children in her van for about half an hour while she went into a cell phone store. that is when her six-year-old her car seat and in the sheriff's words, pummeled her to death. the sheriff described it as one of the worst things he has ever seen. >> the baby was simply beaten, traumatized. gross swelling of outer space. the skull was cracked in numerous places described as mush. and there are some people out there ... >> right now, steele's other dcf. we will be working to get updates on this story throughout the evening. >>> the police chief accepts responsibility for the tragic shooting of a librarian. we learn more about officer lee cole's history. this officer is no stranger to controversy. >> reporter: good evening. officer lee cole was involved in a controversial k-9

better call josh benson. . >> sometimes believe it or not the story continues after it hits the air. here's some stories we thought you'd like to hear about. every step of the way and i have some exciting updates. >> you may remember 82-year-old bruce he bought $6300 in face cream and wanted to return it. he tells of being pressured to forking over thousands. when he tried to return the pointed to a no return sign. our viewers did not appreciate the way bruce was treated. the store owner ended up changing his mind and now three months after our story the baylors have been paid in full. next up kevin decided he better call me with a very unusual request. he needed help getting a funeral home to cremate his 33 days later national cremation and bur yal society had not carried out her wish. there was confusion between the funeral home and the insurance company. the day after i got involved everything was taken care of and kevin is finally at peace. >>> i can't get an answer. >> and one of our most popular investigation is missing diamond wedding and zales jewelers. the last one to turn t

. >> and i'm josh benson thanks for being with us tonight. alligator hunting season is underway in the state of florida and people are hitting the water in hopes of bagging record-breaking reptile. . some say polk county is the prime spot. >> that's right. think about all of the lakes we have. we're at lake parker and some say these waters are full of massive gators and that is what this is all about. for travis lanford catching a gator is an adrenaline rush. >> finally getting it, running them down to the point where they want to fight. there's something about it that

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> that story from the capitol tonight and state law requires that third graders who don't perform well on tests be held back and it is now under fire. parents from hernando, sarasota and another county are fighting back. earful and they were there because their kids were held back after they refused to take that test. what these parents want is for a judge to declare the law declared invalid. >> the day-long hearing began with lawyers jock kiing to have the -- jockeying to have the challenge heard in each of the six counties when the judge didn't rule they refused to participate. >> hernando participating because we don't think the court has the jurisdiction. >> this mom told her kids to be there but not answer questions because she doubts the validity. >> my child is not a guy knee pig and she will -- guinea pig and she will not be used for profit. >> did she receive passing grades? >> honor roll all year. they're competent even though they don't do well on

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> while battling a fire in hernando county. he suffered a heat-related emergency. here's a look in brooksville from eagle 8hd, this is what's left of a double wide mobile home. the firefighter is in critical, but stable condition at dade city hospital. we'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available. >>> now, zika in your backyard. >> standing water creates

. >> and i'm josh benson thanks for being with us tonight. alligator hunting season is underway in the state of florida and people are hitting the water in hopes of bagging record-breaking reptile. . some say polk county is the prime spot. >> that's right. think about all of the lakes we have. we're at lake parker and some say these waters are full of massive gators and that is what this is all about. for travis lanford catching a gator is an adrenaline rush. >> finally getting it, running them down to the point where they want to fight. there's something about it that >> every year he hits the water with his brother during alligator hunting season. >> they wait until the sun goes down. >> we have a red eye shine. when you shine a light across the lake you can see them. >> hoping the eyes belong to a monstrous reptile. >> they often spend hours battling a beast. >> you're dealing with a top predator in the watt thaer could turn on you -- water that could turn >> there's no predators so if you let the numbers grow there's nothing stopping them

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> we're tracking the tropics and tropical depression 9 is in the gulf of mexico. we'll meteorologist steve jerve. when will we start to feel the effects? >> the flow will help to increase the winds from the east. but wednesday and thursday is probably our peak day we'll see the efect of the tropical storm. not at this moment upgraded to a tropical storm. still a tropical depression. as we look at the computer models we call them the spa ge -- spaghetti models. the general trend is is to curve the system back to the northeast. it's a con sense sus as to -- consensus as to how far south it is. wednesday at 2:00 p.m. six per mile an hour winds the most of tampa bay northern polk northward is in the cone. this is called a cone of air meaning it can wobble quite a bit which is why we have to maintain our vigil of watching this thing. heavy rain, coastal flooding keep in mind the southern part is usually the strongest. as we look at the center and the hurricane hu

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> while battling a fire in hernando county. he suffered a heat-related emergency. here's a look in brooksville from eagle 8hd, this is what's left of a double wide mobile home. the firefighter is in critical, but stable condition at dade city hospital. we'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available. >>> now, zika in your backyard. >> standing water creates fighting mosquitos and the zika virus, they're hitting 200 calls per day ever since a non- related travel case was confirmed in that area. jamal joined us now, what advice are they giving people. >> it's impossible to get rid of all standing water like the crevices of plants but there are things that you can use kill the larvae. >> mosquito control has been busy since a case of the mosquito advise was confirmed in the county. the biggest complaint standing water. >> it's important to try to break the mosquito life cycle and get out there and drain the sources of standing water so the adults can't get in there to lay their eggs once a week. >> they tried to r

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> we're tracking the tropics and tropical depression 9 is in the gulf of mexico. we'll meteorologist steve jerve. when will we start to feel the effects? >> the flow will help to increase the winds from the east. but wednesday and thursday is probably our peak day we'll see the efect of the tropical storm. not at this moment upgraded to a tropical storm. still a tropical depression. as we look at the computer models we call them the spa ge

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jenn holloway. thanks so much for joining us. this is your olympic zone. >> and emotions are running high in rio. it was another spectacular night for new they took on china dominating in both sets. >> now it is match point. there comes ua. and, kerri gets the final block and this one is over. >> over for sure. walsh-jennings and ross will play switzerland tomorrow. >>> michael phelps says his dream was to change the sport of swimming and now those who have looked up to him are

. >> i'm josh benson. >> tonight it is a hair care nightmare. thousands of women going bald and all of em in common. they claim it happened after using the popular shampoo wen. women across the u.s. including right here in tampa bay have shared stories of shame, anger and frustration after losing chunks of hair. a staggers 21,000 complaints have been lodged so far. michael talked with these women about this. it is a nightmare to have clumps of hair coming out. >> reporter: imagine that every single day, women who have used this product have experienced it firnd forward to share their hair care nightmare. >> when you brush your hair, you can hear it coming out. >> reporter: this brooksville mother of two has been heartbroken for the last ten months after losing chunks of hair. she began going bald after using the popular shampoo wen. >> i vacuum my house and everything that is in there is hair. >> reporter: 8 on your side has followed tina's case coastally, she received a letter from the investigating 21,000 complaints across the country from wom

im josh benson i am jen leigh. lawrence higgins founded st. lawrence catholic church in tampa and remained pastor there are 49 years. sadly, he passed away at his parish rectory home. he was 87 years old. >> reporter: not just members of this parish but those who commitment to the community and admired his honesty. he met with the pope, even presidents. took these pictures detail a lifetime of memories, a lifetime of making a difference in the tampa bay community. while he founded st. lawrence catholic church, he was an influential member of the community as a whole. he had a commitment to all people. he loved children. he loved th those were the people that he connected with. one of our anchors has known him . >> in adulthood, i got to know him as an adult hood adult. we were on a lot of boards together and different events together. i would emcee everything and he would always to the invitation. the judeo-christian health clinic, an organization aimed at helping the less fortunate with medical needs. kelly bell is the executive director. >>

you can join josh benson over on great 38 at 8 pm. >> then we have the olympics all night here on news channel >>> tonight a shocking fatal mistake, an elderly woman shot to death by a police officer while playing an intruder during an academy drill. >>> accident. >>> trump defiant, strongly deny he was trying to incite violence while saying second amendment people could act against hillary clinton. >>> and hillary clinton's e-mail controversy. >>> drama on the high tower. police emerge as a man suddenly scales the bui building. >>> the gold rush continues in rio. michael phelps makes history in dramatic fashion and america's

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >> we begin with breaking news. an update out of miami-dade county. a fire in a substation in miami county is just about out. out of the substation. at one point, as many as 10,000 customers are without power. and the airport was impacted briefly. but now, we are told it is down to about 3500 customers impacted. and there are no injuries reported. >>> now to your vote, in the race for the white house. all eyes are on our home state right now as both presidential candidates work to draw up support here in florida. former president bill clinton stopped by the bay area fundraiser. candace mccowan joins us now live from the florida state fairgrounds where donald trump will speak tomorrow afternoon. candace, can anyone attend this event? >> reporter: yeah, you know, this is open to the public. of course, you have to register and go through secret service security before you can come inside. we are here at the florida state fairgrounds. they are sets up here for big crowds expected when trump speaks tomorrow around 1:00.

. >> i'm josh benson. today, caylee would have turned 11 years old and a sarasota man is ensuring that the slain girl is not forgotten. wally goodno created a memorial

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. surveillance cameras were rolling as two bold burglars broke into a mom and pop diner and the who men were in before highland deputies were able to stop them. john rogers breaks it down frame by frame. >> reporter: good evening. when you look at this surveillance video, you will see how confident and quick these crooks were. it didn't matter that a surveillance camera was right in front of the door. just before 4:00 thursday morning these two men simply breakthrough the glass and walk inside market 27 in avon park. >> we found a spark plug out glass. >> reporter: john is sadden to see these guys steal from him and his hard working family. they tug and kick to get the cash drawers out. >> it pains me to see somebody destroying our property like this. >> reporter: the two men wandered through the store trying to take every cash drawer they could find. >> one of them turns the lights on. oddly enough. >> reporter: in less than three minutes, they successfully steal three cash drawers and

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. the search for answers continues for the killer who shot a man in home. someone gunned down jonathan jay charles pierre and took off. today, his family begged the public for help. >> reporter: that's right josh. they want answers. who shot jay and why. they want someone to come forward and help them get closure. >> if you are a mother, you know it is not easy. >> reporter: a mother's desperate plea for help. >> i'm asking ... anybody who knows anything please come forward. >> reporter: standing strong beside her, jay's son, holding a picture of his dad. >> they not only killed him, they killed me. they killed him. they killed us. and it is very hard. >> reporter: these bullet holes at the home on castle way, a reminder of that terrible day back in july. a witness that night claims a black male knocked on the door and pointed a gun at him. >> the suspect demanded that he called mr. pierre to the door. >> reporter: when he did, the maot took off. >> we know that jay was targeted. but wh

i am jen leigh i am josh benson multiple people in south florida have been infected with the zika virus through local mosquito bites. in response, blood banks are taking new precautions to protect their supply. mary mcguire spent the day at the sun coast blood center in sarasota. she joins us to let us know about these tests. >> reporter: many of the people receiving blood from centers this already have weakened immune systems from diseases these new tests make sure they are not hit with a one-two punch. >> you are sitting in a chair. you can watch tv. >> reporter: rod millington has donated blood countless times over the past couple of years once every three months to be exact. >> you feel good about donating and helping your community and helping people out.>> reporter: today was a bit different. after one point of his blood was collected this afternoon, it will go through a set of new screening tests for a variety of pathogens including the zika virus. >> we are always concerned about the latest pathogens. for us, we do have pathogen inactivation of our platelets which has been prove

. >> i'm josh benson. today, caylee would have turned 11 years old and a sarasota man is ensuring that the slain girl is not forgotten. wally goodno created a memorial vandalized so he built a new one to commemorate her birthday. he has no connection to the girl at all. he was just touched by her story. >> i have 12 grand kids and i could never imagine my kids doing anything like that to my grand kids. the children are the future. and to have one of them snuffed out at three years old, it is crazy. >> tonight, wally and some volunteers will go to the site in orlando and release balloons in caylee's memory. >>> search crews have now found the black box of freighter el faro. now, that ship sank near the bahamas during hurricane joaquin. the national transportation safety board retrieved the ship from 15,000 feet of water. that is roughly three miles down. search crews actually found the recorder in april, but they couldn't remove it then. the ntsb will begin processing the data when crews return from sea and

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. we will get to that story in a minute. >> but first, the big story on everyone's mind. me keeping an eye on tropical depression number 9. steve, what's the latest track? >> reporter: very similar, the cone is moving further north which is good for most of the bay area. if you are north of the bay area, you have to watch this because of a hurricane watch in effect for your coastline in your area. let's look at the numbers here. as of 5:00 from the national hurricane center, 35 miles an hour winds. you can see the forecast track gets in a lightly better environment. as you can see, that is going to be the story here long term. so possibly some time later thursday, up around the big bend area. most of the tampa bay area out of that window of possible movement. that area as we talked about, the stronger winds. got to go back to the news room. we have rick scott apparently about to speak to us. so, let's go ahead. >> three days of days of food. if you need medicine, make sure to have it on

. >> you can join josh benson and jenn holloway at 8:00 on great 38. >> have a great night. >>> tonight, nbc news exclusive. for the first time, donald trump's doctor speaks out about his letter declaring trump to be the healthiest person ever elected president. why he tells us it was written in just five minutes, what we know >>> tropica threat moving in, major flood warnings in florida and new concerns along the gulf coast. >>> zika blood fears, a new recommendation from the fda saying that all blood should be screeninged for the virus. >>> who would kill two women who dedicated their lives to helping

im josh benson i am jen leigh. lawrence higgins founded st. lawrence catholic church in tampa and remained pastor there are 49 years. sadly, he passed away at his parish rectory home. he was 87 years old. >> reporter: not just members of this parish but those who

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. surveillance cameras were rolling as two bold burglars broke into a mom and pop diner and the who men were in before highland deputies were able to stop them. john rogers breaks it down frame by frame. >> reporter: good evening. when you look at this surveillance video, you will see how confident and quick these crooks were. it didn't matter that a surveillance camera was right in front of the door. just before 4:00 thursday morning these two men simply breakthrough the glass and walk inside market 27 in avon park. >> we found a spark plug out

. >>> i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible, and we want to go to the traffic and here's our meteorologist we're talking about. we're watching the first tropical storm gaston and invest 99l. the national hurricane center has dropped the development chances to 70%. that's still highly high chances. this is working its way over hispaniola. the national center is displaced to the north a bit. as you head into the next couple of days, you can see most of our forecast models bringing this towards south florida by the end of this weekend and we see a few of the tracks brings it closer to the west of florida and to the gulf and some don't develop it. we'll be watching this very closely still and see if we have any rain out of this system. we'll take a look at the tracking storms over hispaniola. to the north we're seeing a little bit of a circulation. we're facing a lot of wind shear right now and also fairly dry. >> a that's why we have not seen it develop quite yet. hurricane hunters are out there right now investigating it. tropical storm gaston we'll look at that as well. it's expected to res

i'm josh benson. this is you first at 4:00. -- this is first at 4:00. and we are tracking the trommics for you. here's storm team 8 meteorologist julie phillips. >> we are looking currently at tropical depression number 9. a lot of problems in the tropics. current winds at 35 miles per hour, as of the 11:00 a.m. advisory. currently moving off toward the west, at 7 miles per hour. can you see it on the satellite imagery, during the southern portion of the gulf. hurricane hunters are actually inside this area, righ what they find. you can see they've seen some peak wind gusts up to 41 miles per hour. so we'll see what the results of this are, probably within the next hour or so. here's a look at the current track of tropical depression 9. continuing to move towards the west/northwest, over the next day or so. picking up a little strength. it is forecast to become a tropical storm, within the next 24 hours. still waiting on that. at this point, it's still a depression. and then as we head into the quick curve back to florida. by thursday, we're looking at

i'm josh benson. >> and i am stacie schaible. and right now, storms are brewing in the tropics. >> thank you, stacie. we are watching a couple areas in the thereabout. of course, -- in the atlantic. of fiona. you can say good-bye to fiona. we have tropical storm gaston strengthening in the atlantic and we are watching closely invest 99l which currently has a 60% chance of development. gaston moving off west, northwest at 21 miles per hour. expected to strengthen into a hurricane but we're not expecting this to impact florida and likely not even the u.s. as it makes the open atlantic. and what we're watching more closely is the tropical wave, invest 99l, you can see the spaghetti models bringing the storm to the north and west. and by the weekend, you can see it's moving in the direction of florida. so it's still a ways away. right now, not a tropical depression. not a named storm. but there's a 60% chance of development, especially towards the end of this week. and we have the hurricane hunters out today investigating was, it's s

i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4. take a look at this. a live look outside. and it isn't the last of the rain we're going to see over the next few days. we're going to go straight now julie phillips. >> thank you, stacy. and a lot of rain in the forecast for us over the next few days, only increasing at this point. the last advisory to come out from the national hurricane center, was at 11:00 a.m. and at that point, the max winds were thrill 36 miles per hour. still tropical depression 9. we have been awaiting this to become a tropical storm for about 24 hours at this point. it's just not in the best of environments. the gulf waters may be warm. but it's facing a lot of wind shear. that's really preventing too much in the way of so you can see, it's still looking fairly disorganized on our satellite imagery. in the southern portions of the gulf at this point. moving to the west/northwest at 7 miles per hour. by thursday afternoon, thursday evening, we're expecting this to make landfall in the big bend region of florida. and at this point,

i'm josh benson. >> i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. as we watch tropical storm hernine edge closer close -- hermine edge closer to land, having classes tomorrow. several have closed schools because of the weather. parents will have to make other plans for their school-aged children. >> now, tracking tropical storm hermine. >> that was upgraded from tropical depression 9 this afternoon. hurricane hunters were out investigating this area. and they found we do now have max winds at 40 miles per hour, making it a tropical storm. still moving very slowly off to the north at just 2 miles per hour. so the forecast track storm strengthening into a strong tropical storm. as we head into thursday night, you can see, as a strong tropical storm, tropical storm warnings in effect for our northern counties at this point. and quickly moving out as we head into friday and this weekend. but really, the next 36 hours or so. we're going to continue to deal with some very heavy rainfall. look at the rainfall totals from ain't pete beach. so no wonder we'r