The effects of Tropical Storm Beryl will continue with periods of heavy rain and gusty winds through Tuesday. So far, the storm has moved into the area with little reported damage to Gainesville or Alachua County.
UF Meteorologist Jeff Huffman expects the heavy rain to weaken through the afternoon and evening. Another weather system coming off the Gulf could bring more rain to the area going into Tuesday.
"It's great news that we're getting the rain. We desperately needed the rain," Huffman said. "It's unfortunate news that it's all going to come at once, and there may be a little bit of flooding. We're going to have to watch that here in North Central Florida."
The storm made landfall in Florida early Monday near Jacksonville Beach around 12:10 a.m. with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. As of 8 a.m., the center of Beryl was near Lake City, and moving northwest, before an expected turn up the coast and out into the Atlantic.
A tropical storm warning was in effect early Monday for coastal areas from Flagler Beach, Fla. to the Savannah River in Georgia. An earlier tropical storm warning for areas northward to Edisto Beach, S.C., was discontinued.
Beryl was expected to bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to parts of the Southeast, with some areas getting as much as 12 inches. Forecasters said the storm surge and high tide could bring 2 to 4 feet of flooding in northeastern Florida and Georgia, and 1 to 2 feet in southern South Carolina.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott urged Florida residents in the affected areas to "stay alert and aware."
"Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to bring heavy rain and winds, and it is vital to continue to monitor local news reports and listen to the advice of local emergency management officials," Scott said in a statement Sunday evening.
Stay tuned to wuft.org or WRUF-TV (channel 6 on Cox and 10.1 over the air) for the latest on this storm.
Images posted on social media networks
A curated glance at some of the images folks in Florida and the Southeast are posting to Twitter and social networks from Tropical Storm Beryl.
