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Meteorologists say that in Polk County, winds of tropical strength could reach 58 to 100 km / h.
LAKELAND – Although Hurricane Dorian is off the east coast of Florida as planned, the strong storm could project heavy winds and heavy rains over eastern Polk County.
The National Weather Service said Sunday a tropical storm watch for all of Polk County, with the eastern parts of the county likely to be hit the hardest by the outside bands of the hurricane.
As early as Monday morning, Hurricane Dorian swirled about 115 miles east of West Palm Beach, moving westward at a speed of 1 mile to the hour. The NWS reported that the storm blew 165 mph and produced gusts of up to 200 km / h.
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Computer models continued to show that the hurricane would turn and turn north, just off the east coast of Florida. But winds of strength from tropical storms could extend 140 miles from the center of the hurricane, warned the National Hurricane Center.
Austen Flannery, a meteorologist at the Ruskin office of the National Weather Service, said Polk County, in the east of the country, could experience high winds and heavy rains.
"Basically, this means that winds can potentially reach speeds of 58 to 73 mph. it's what the tropical force winds would be of intensity, "said Flannery. "It will probably make more mistakes at the bottom of the scale, but they should be prepared for that. In terms of impact, the roof could be slightly damaged. Unsecured items can be washed away. We could see trees fall. "
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City officials in Haines are ready to deal with any emergencies, Mayor Morris West said Monday. West said other members of the city's police and fire departments would report for service Tuesday afternoon and would be ready to work all night. He added that employees of the public works office would also be on standby.
"We will still try to answer service calls, if the winds do not become too dangerous," said West. "We may not be using fire trucks, but we will try to use every possible means to reach our citizens."
The city of Haines did not plan to open hurricane shelters. The city offices are due to reopen on Wednesday.
Flannery said the rain could be more of a concern than the winds in East Polk County.
"Overall, the impact should be quite limited," he said. "Of course, heavy rains are a concern and you should never drive on a flooded roadway."
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The National Weather Service forecast map indicates a flood warning along the Peace River south of Bartow.
Flannery said that Hurricane Dorian has so far given no indication that he could deviate from the planned trajectory and move west to strike directly at the Florida.
"The good news this morning is that a lot of the data we are looking at, a lot of meteorological models and the information we have are very consistent and show that the turn is heading north and keeping the storm off," Flannery said. . "One thing meteorologists like to look for in confidence is consistency. We have seen this for about a day, which gives us a lot more confidence in the forecasts. "
What did you think of this story? Share your comments. | Gary White can be contacted at [email protected] or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @ garywhite13.
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