TROPICAL STORM WARNING ISSUED FOR OUR AREA

4:58 UPDATE:

Jacksonville University will remain open with normal operating hours as Tropical Storm Andrea passes through the area today and Friday, with the only cancellation being Thursday evening’s Presidential Reception event. All classes are to be held as scheduled both tonight and Friday.

Heavy rain is expected, but the storm is not expected to intensify into a hurricane. The Emergency Preparedness website of the City of Jacksonville states: “There are no anticipated bridge closures due to weather. The city will continue to monitor conditions at area bridges and will take action if conditions warrant.” Please visit the JU website at www.ju.edu for further updates as the storm progresses.

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12:06 p.m. UPDATE:

TROPICAL STORM ANDREA LOCAL STATEMENT:

FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE :

TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8:15 P.M. THURSDAY FOR OUR AREA…

ANDREA A LITTLE STRONGER HEADING TOWARD THE FLORIDA BIG BEND…

NEW INFORMATION… TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM.

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11 a.m. UPDATE:

Below are the links for the  11 a.m. update on TS Andrea. Little change in direction or strength is noted since the last update. The storm is moving on shore in the Florida Panhandle.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

http://whatcounts.boatus.net/dm?id=CD7CA60F04C21ABEA6485FD11A51E9DA

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To the JU community:

Tropical Storm Andrea is currently located in the Gulf of Mexico, and a Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for our area, including Arlington, until 2:15 p.m. Thursday. A Flood Watch has also been issued until 8 p.m. Friday.

The Warning is along the East Coast north to Virginia, and the main threats for Florida include torrential rain, flooding and isolated tornadoes.

Currently the storm’s maximum sustained winds are 60 mph. For our area, the National Weather Service is calling for wind gusts of tropical storm force, or 35-45 mph.

The strongest parts of the storm are expected to last into early Friday.

For the latest updates, visit http://www.weather.gov and enter the Arlington ZIP code of 32211.

Our JU Emergency Preparedness Team will be closely monitoring the storm and sending out updates as they become available, and we urge everyone to keep up with the storm warnings.

Please be safe and use caution in your travels.