Heavy rain is falling this morning along the I-95 corridor from Miami to West Palm Beach, thanks to an approaching tropical wave. The system is expected to cross the Florida Keys later today, and has been named Tropical Storm Gordon.
Gusty winds and heavy rain are the primary concerns in South Florida today, where a Flood Watch has been issued for Broward, Collier, and Miami-Dade counties.
Further north and west, residents in the the Florida panhandle are urged to monitor the progress of this developing system.
"A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for areas west of the Florida-Alabama border, but I can't rule out tropical storm conditions near Pensacola yet as early as Tuesday night, depending on the exact track the system takes," says Huffman.
Tropical Storm Gordon is the season's seventh named storm. The traditional peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season is next week, on or around September 10th.
Meanwhile, Leon County has opened sandbag locations ahead of the storm.
Sandbags are availableat the following Leon County locations:
- Tekesta Park, at Tekesta Drive and Deer Lake Road in Killearn Lakes
- Apalachee Regional Park (Solid Waste Management Facility), 7550 Apalachee Parkway
- J. Lee Vause, 6024 Old Bainbridge Road
- At the intersection of Oak Ridge Road at Ranchero Road
- James Messer Park 2830 Jackson Bluff Road
- Winthrop Park 1601 Mitchell Avenue
Residents should bring their own shovels. Sand, bags and ties will be available for public use and there's a 15-bag limit.
Updates on official road closures can be found by downloading the Leon County Citizens Connect App in the Apple or Google Play store and the Leon County Emergency Information Portal (EIP) at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/ei/ .
