Tropical Storm Andrea made landfall in the Steinhatchee Area at 5:35 p.m. this afternoon.
She continues to track to the N-NE at 17 mph. It is expected that TS Andrea will cross our county to the northeast of Lake City around 8 pm and move on through.
We still could see sustained winds in the 38-50 mph range, and gusts could get up to the 55-60 mph range. So far today, the central and northern part of Columbia County have received an inch to two inches of rain (some areas may have received locally heavier amounts) while the Fort White area received 2 ½ inches of rain (again, some area may have been locally heavier). It is expected that our county from the middle to the northern parts could see another inch of rain, possibly an inch and a quarter.
The tornado watch remains in effect tonight until 10 pm, a tropical storm warning will be in effect until the system has moved completely out of our area, and a flood watch will remain in effect until Friday night. It is possible that we will see some residual rainfall Friday morning. But by that time Tropical Storm Andrea will be moving up the eastern seaboard.
