Tropical Storm Elsa shifted slightly westward overnight but is still expected to bring 2-4 inches of rain to Putnam County.
Putnam County Emergency Management said Wednesday morning about 9:30 that some areas could see higher amounts of rainfall as the storm moves across North Florida. The agency said to expect winds between 25-33 mph, with gusts of 45 mph. Memorial bridge remains open.
There is the threat of isolated tornadoes, the agency said in a social media post.
“Please take precautions. It is better to err on the side of precaution than putting yourself at risk,” the agency said. “Avoid flood-prone areas and do not attempt to drive through water over the roads.”
City and county government offices are closed today. Putnam was among the counties Gov. Ron DeSantis added to his state of emergency order on Tuesday. County and municipal governments have also declared state of emergencies this week.
The Emergency Operations Center is staffed. Residents can call 386-329-1904 until 8 p.m. with storm-related questions or to report damage.
Florida Power & Light and Seminole Electric have crews ready to respond to power outages resulting from downed trees.
Putnam and Northeast Florida remains under a flood watch and wind advisory, according to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.
Elsa briefly reached hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico before moving ashore on the state’s West Coast early Wednesday as a tropical storm.
According to the Associated Press, Elsa dumped rain across Florida’s Gulf Coast early Wednesday but appears to have spared the state significant damage and widespread power outages.
Tornado warnings were issued in several northern Florida counties, including the Gainesville area, on Wednesday morning. Heavy rain and gusty winds are expected across northern Florida once the storm makes an expected turn to the northeast. Some flooding is also expected in the region, where the ground is already saturated from heavy rain late last week.
DeSantis said at a morning news conference that no major structural damage or deaths from the storm had been reported.
“Clearly, this could have been worse,” DeSantis said, adding that many storm-related deaths come after the system passes. “Be very careful when you’re working to clear debris."