Hurricane Hermine brought strong winds and flooding to a swath of Florida's Gulf Coast early today, knocking out power to more than 250,000 people and raising fears of additional damage as the storm swept across the state.

The tropical system that spun off the warm waters of the Gulf whipped up 80 mph winds that extended 45 miles from the eye before weakening over land and being downgraded to a tropical storm.

Less severe but still dangerous winds of up to 74 mph spanned several hundred miles, from Tampa to the barrier islands south of Pensacola, as the storm barreled inland.

The latest forecast this morning had Hermine's maximum sustained winds as it moved up the coast over South Carolina.