The remnants of Hurricane Hermine were regaining strength Saturday off the Atlantic coast of the United States, triggering renewed safety warnings along large swaths of coastal lands as it stalked vulnerable Mid-Atlantic resort areas.
At 2 p.m. local time, the National Hurricane Center placed the storm center about 93 miles (150 kilometers) east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A bulletin warned that it most likely would gain strength over the next 36 hours, returning to hurricane strength by Monday as it tracked slowly to the northeast toward coastal Delaware and beyond.
Storm surge warnings were issued for coastal New Jersey, with surge watches reaching New York City and coastal Connecticut.
The slow-moving tropical storm was expected to wreak havoc on resort areas of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and beyond, closing beaches as Americans celebrate Labor Day, the last of three annual major U.S. holidays of the summer season.
Hermine rose up over the Gulf of Mexico and pounded the Gulf Coast of Florida on Friday as a Category 1 hurricane, then weakened over land as it roared northeastward across Georgia and into the Atlantic.
Some 300,000 Florida homes remained without power Saturday as residents surveyed damage from the first hurricane to strike the state in more than a decade. Authorities in the city of Tallahassee said it could take almost a week for power to be fully restored.
