Pinellas County remains under a Tropical Storm Watch and a Storm Surge Watch as Hurricane Michael brings potential for gusty winds, periods of rain and above normal tides impacting flood prone areas through Wednesday.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in Pinellas County tonight and last overnight into Wednesday bringing intermittent rain and gusty winds up to 40 miles per hour. There is a marginal risk of tornadoes within the storm’s bands and these could occur overnight while residents are asleep. Residents are asked to have NOAA weather radio or mobile application turned on to receive any possible tornado warnings.
Above normal tides could reach 2 to 4 feet during high tides overnight Wednesday into the afternoon, which could cause localized street flooding in coastal flood-prone areas. Pinellas County is under a storm surge watch, which means residents should closely monitor conditions, but no evacuations have been ordered at this time.
Residents should exercise extreme caution around flood waters; never walk or drive through a flooded street. Remember: turn around, don’t drown.
Should power outages occur from the storm, Duke Energy customers should report them by calling 1-800-228-8485
Stay tuned to local media for the latest on the storm’s progress. Some important preparedness tips to follow today include:
Make sure you are receiving emergency alerts, such as tornado warnings, with a NOAA Weather Alert Radio or through the alert Pinellas notification system; sign up for free alerts at www.pinellascounty.org/alertpinellas.