Parts of Florida still under alert as Hurricane Nate heads for Mississippi River area

As Category 1 Hurricane Nate moves in the Gulf of Mexico at a storm sprint toward land, parts of the Florida Panhandle remain under hurricane watch, storm surge warning and tropical storm warning.

The 8 a.m. National Weather Service advisory keeps Florida’s two westernmost counties, Escambia (county seat Pensacola) and Okaloosa (which has Fort Walton Beach), under those three weather alerts. There’s a tropical storm and storm surge watch from the county line between Okaloosa and Walton coutnies to Indian Pass.

Nate is about 245 miles south-southeast of the Mississippi River and hustling at 22 mph north-northwest with 85 mph sustained winds. Hurricane force winds extend 35 miles from its center and tropical storm force winds can still be found 125 miles from the center.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Parts of Florida still under alert as Hurricane Nate heads for Mississippi River area."