Alachua County Emergency Management continues to monitor the tropical system in the Atlantic.
The track of Potential Tropical Cyclone #4 is becoming more organized, but as the storm area interacts with land, the potential impacts for Alachua County and surrounding areas are still very unclear. The National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service are expecting to have a better look at potential impacts within the next 12 to 24 hours.
There are still a range of scenarios for our area. A storm track that moves more to the west could produce a much higher rainfall total of up to 10 inches in some areas over a couple of days, but a track that is more to the east will likely produce less rain overall.
It is important to remember that Alachua County is already between 4 to 7 inches above our normal 30-day rainfall totals, so our area is already saturated. It may not take as much rain to cause some areas to flood. This storm is not expected to start impacting Alachua County in a significant way until late Saturday, but more likely into Sunday, so residents and visitors should be taking steps early to secure property in areas that are at high risk for flooding. Homes and other properties in flood-prone areas should be assessed to determine if there are ways to protect the property from flooding danger.
Monitor the U.S. National Weather Service website at weather.gov/jax for the latest storm information, including anticipated local impacts. You can find the latest National Weather Service briefing packet, which is updated regularly at https://tinyurl.com/NWSJAX.
Sign up for text alerts by texting the word ALACHUA to 888-777 to stay fully informed of any disaster-related information related specifically to Alachua County.
Alachua County Emergency Management will keep you informed of any new protective measures that are being implemented. We will post new updates as the situation evolves. Stay tuned to our Facebook page and sign up for text alerts to keep up with the newest information.
