Note: This story was last updated at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Tropical Depression 9 is getting better organized as storms build near the center of circulation. It should become a tropical storm within 6 to 8 hours with the name Hermine.

As the system moves over warmer water in an area with less wind shear, intensification to near-hurricane strength or just to hurricane strength is quite plausible before landfall Thursday evening in the Big Bend area. The storm should speed up as it gets caught in a trough of low pressure digging into the eastern part of the country.

Marion County is currently under a tropical storm watch, which means wind greater than 39 mph is likely within 48 hours. Deviation from the forecast track is about 250 to 300 miles within the cone of probability.

  • WATCHES AND WARNINGS
    • A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.
    • A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for inland Citrus, inland Hernando and inland Pasco counties.
    • A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Marion County.

As of 2 a.m. ET, TD 9 is about 430 miles southwest of Tampa. It has maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph and is moving west at a very slow 1 mph.

It's predicted to turn north-northeast by Wednesday afternoon or evening. If it stays on the forecast track, the center of the storm will will approach the northwest Florida coast in the watch area Thursday.

  • HOW CLOSE IS THE STORM?
    • Orlando: 508 miles SW
    • Daytona Beach: 551 miles SW
    • Cape Canaveral: 543 miles WSW
    • Melbourne: 532 miles WSW
    • Tampa: 431 miles SW
    • Tallahassee: 486 miles SSW
    • Jacksonville: 573 miles SW

Hurricane watches are now in place along the Gulf Coast and around the Big Bend area of Florida.

Regardless of where it makes landfall, Central Florida would be positioned on the right side of the storm, which tends to have more rain and stronger winds. Residents and visitors should be on guard for potential tropical storm conditions overnight Wednesday into Thursday, lasting through very early Friday.

Now is the time to secure loose objects in the yard or bring them indoors, and clean up any branches to prevent further damage. The holiday weekend looks to be unaffected, since the storm will exit the area very quickly and not linger.

Elsewhere in the tropics, Gaston has intensified to a major hurricane, strengthening to a Category 3 tropical cyclone. It's far out in the open Atlantic with no threat to land. It's about 810 miles east of Bermuda. Tropical Depression Eight, meanwhile, is about 70 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. but is moving northeast, away from the coast.

There's one other area we're watching just exiting the west coast of Africa that will likely cross the Atlantic.

We'll have the latest at :51 past each hour on-air in your complete tropical update.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved up a preseason game against the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium by a day. The game was originally supposed to happen Thursday, but it's been moved to Wednesday at 8 p.m. to avoid the storm. More information is available on the Bucs' website.


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