New Smyrna Beach, Fla. – Tropical Storm Ophelia strengthened into a hurricane as it stalled 70 miles off the northeast Florida coast Thursday, churning waves that caused beach erosion and drenching Kennedy Space Center.
Thursday evening, Ophelia had top sustained winds of 75 mph, just over the threshold to be classified as a hurricane, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
But forecasters said it was still unclear where Ophelia was headed.
If it hits Florida, it would become the third hurricane to strike the state this year and the seventh in the past 13 months.
Downpours from earlier storms had caused flooding in Flagler County, raising anxiety levels about the effect of more rain.
Authorities shut down a mile-long stretch of beachfront road in Flagler Beach so transportation workers could shore it up with sand and boulders.
“The storm is eating up our dunes,” said Carl Laundrie, communications manager for Flag ler County.
Two shelters in Flagler County were being readied as a precaution.
In neighboring Volusia County, 12 people already had moved into the county’s three shelters.
“In reaction to Katrina, we wanted to be extremely proactive,” said Dave Byron, Volusia County spokesman. County schools were closed Thursday.
Ophelia is the 15th named storm of the season. Forecasters predict it should turn out into the Atlantic over the next few days, but that wasn’t a certainty.
