Tropical Storm Hermine Customer Update #3

2016-09-01

As expected, Tropical Depression 9 in the Gulf of Mexico has strengthened and has now been named Tropical Storm Hermine. The system is expected to take a path through central and northeast Florida over the next 48 hours. As such, we will be closing our terminal in Jacksonville tomorrow (Sept. 1) at 1600 hours.

Crowley’s corporate emergency management team, which is monitoring Hermine, is taking all appropriate steps to ensure the safety of Crowley personnel, including our vessel crews, along with our assets and your cargo that may be in the storm’s path. We apologize in advance if your supply chain is disrupted. We will be sure to let you know if the weather impacts our schedules, operations or facilities.

Below is the latest weather projection as provided by StormGeo today.

Satellite loops indicate a slow movement northward, or even a little east of due north. Westerly winds aloft across the northern Gulf will gradually turn the storm northeastward over the next 24 hours. We are indicating that max winds are currently 45 mph. Our forecast takes Hermine to a 70 mph tropical storm at landfall near Apalachicola, Florida Thursday night, but winds could easily reach hurricane strength at landfall. In addition, Hermine has a very large moisture envelope. There is a high potential for very heavy rainfall across Florida Thursday and Friday.

Hermine will emerge off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday as a tropical storm with winds near 50 mph. Conditions east of the Carolinas would favor steady intensification to hurricane strength by late Saturday evening or Sunday morning. It’s beyond Sunday when we have low confidence in the forecast. Some models indicate that Hermine may become trapped a few hundred miles offshore next week. Others indicate continued movement to the northeast and out to sea. Either way, it looks like Hermine will undergo a transition to a larger extratropical storm by Monday. This means it will have limited potential to strengthen any further, but its wind field will expand considerably. Gusty northerly winds may prevail along the coast of New England down through Maryland next week.