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For Tallahassee, Irma Could Mirror Hermine

National Weather Service

Tallahassee residents can be forgiven if Hurricane Irma brings on a strong feeling of Déjà vu.

Jane Hollingsworth, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee bureau, expects Irma’s tropical-force winds and driving rains to mimic Hurricane Hermine last summer.

“Hermine was not an extremely fast-moving system and of course, Tallahassee took a direct hit, and that was a Category 1 hurricane. So, we’re potentially seeing similar scenario that would give us similar impacts.”

Irma’s tropical storm force winds could still bring gusts greater than 70 miles per hour, Hollingsworth says, and that means the same downed tree limbs and power lines and extensive power outages. She urges residents to remove potential flying debris from their yards.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.