Key West The Newspaper

 

MARATHON – A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect for the Middle and Upper Keys. The Watch extends from the Seven Mile Bridge to Golden Beach.

Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said the County will be open for business Wednesday.

Monroe County School Superintendent Mark Porter said that all public schools in the Keys would also be open on Wednesday. The decision to keep schools open Thursday will be determined by how the storm progresses overnight.

The Florida Keys can expect to feel the main impacts of Hurricane Matthew beginning Wednesday night and lasting through early Friday morning, according to The National Weather Service in Key West.

At about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Hurricane Matthew continued to be a Category 4 storm, located about 535 miles southeast of Key Largo and moving north at 9 mph.

For the Upper and Middle Keys, the probable impacts include wind speeds of between 20 and 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph. The chance of tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of more than 39 mph) is 52 percent for Ocean Reef, 36 percent for Islamorada and 24 percent for Marathon.

For the Lower Keys, wind speeds of 15 to 20 mph are expected with gusts of 25 to 30 mph. There is a 15 percent chance of tropical storm conditions in Key West.

The percent probability of sustained hurricane force winds is 8 percent for Ocean Reef and less than 3 percent for the rest of the Keys.

Minor coastal flooding is possible Wednesday through Saturday with above normal tide levels. The highest levels are expected Thursday and Friday on the bay side of the Upper Keys. Water levels around 1 foot above ground level can be expected across the lowest lying areas along the immediate shoreline. Water levels may be slow to recede along the bayside of the Upper Keys.

Throughout the Keys, local heavy rainfall is possible Wednesday night through Friday in bands associated with the storm. Minor, localized flooding could occur in the normally affected low lying areas. General rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are likely, with isolated amounts up to 5 inches are possible. The heaviest rainfall is expected to occur over Ocean Reef, with a possibility of 7 inches of rainfall.

Monroe County Emergency Management continues to coordinating preparedness efforts with local, state and federal partners. No evacuations in the Keys are planned.

Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Rick Scott held a roundtable at the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport to ensure that Monroe County was getting all the state help it needs for storm preparation.

To receive Monroe County Emergency Management news and informational updates by text message on your phone or by email, go to Monroecountyem.com and click on big red Alert button and fill in the information.

Now is the time for you to prepare for any possible impacts that could occur due to heavy rain, possible high winds and possible localized flooding. For more information on preparedness, go to:http://www.monroecountyem.com/index.aspx?NID=90.