Hurricane Hermine made landfall early Friday along Florida’s Gulf Coast in the southeastern United States.

The hurricane has since diminished to a tropical storm as it moved into the neighboring state of Georgia.

The first hurricane to strike Florida in more than a decade has caused power outages and localized flooding, with 50 centimeters of rain expected in some parts of the state.

Florida’s Governor Rick Scott said the category 1 hurricane could create “life threatening” conditions.

An Air Force hunter plane flying near the storm Thursday night showed the storm’s sustained winds at about 130 kilometers per hour not long before making landfall.

Heavy rains had already started falling in many parts of Florida Thursday night, and projections show the entire East Coast – all the way from central Florida past the northern Atlantic Coast state of New Jersey – in the hurricane’s path, although it should drop wind speeds and become a tropical storm over land.

Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida’s counties, while President Barack Obama has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to keep him updated on the storm’s progression.

“Local, state and federal officials have been working diligently to prepare for these storms and have resources on hand to respond to them as necessary,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

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