We Don't Like Ike

It could have been the worst storm ever to hit the Tampa region.

Hurricane Ike is a Category 3 hurricane that is expected to pick up even more speed as it makes it past Cuba Tuesday and heads west-northwest into the Gulf of Mexico.

As of Sunday night, meteorologists were not sure whether the eye of the storm would hit the western edge of the Florida Panhandle or Mexico.

It did appear as if Hernando County would be safe.

"Right now, it appears most of the heaviest winds and weather will be to the southwest of us," said John McMichael, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin.

It is likely there will be an increase of showers tonight and tomorrow and there could be a few wind gusts of up to 15 miles per hour.

There will be much heavier beads of rain covering South Florida beginning today, said McMichael.

The evacuation of South Florida began Saturday. Tolls were suspended along the northbound lanes of the Florida Turnpike from milepost 0 in Florida City to Wildwood.

The same was done for the tolls along the northbound lanes of the Sawgrass Expressway and the eastbound and westbound lanes of Alligator Alley/Interstate 75, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The storm pelted the Bahamas Sunday morning. Winds were clocked at 135 miles per hour.

If Ike moves close to Florida after it enters the Gulf, the accompanying storm surge could have some effect along the coast.

As of Sunday, it appeared more likely the storm would only raise the tide by 1 or 2 feet along Hernando Beach today and tomorrow, McMichael said.