Tropical Storm Elsa To Push Through Central Florida Early Wednesday Morning

To see updates during and after the storm, click here.

Tropical Storm Elsa is making steady headway, with projections to hit Central Florida around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

All residents and visitors of Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties should ensure preparations are complete before Tuesday evening. Coastal areas are expecting up to 6 feet of storm surge with the possibility of it being higher. Storm surges will start Wednesday morning.

Here's what people in each county can expect.

Levy County

A tropical storm warning and a storm surge warning are all currently in effect for these counties.

Winds are expected to reach sustained gusts of 40 to 60 mph with winds getting stronger as you approach the coast. Wind timing can be expected to start later Tuesday into Wednesday's early hours.

Levy County does not expect to open any shelters or issue any evacuation orders.

Public information lines are open at 352-486-5155 and 352-486-5576 for Levy County updates. Residents and visitors of Levy can also sign up for emergency alerts at their website or by texting ALERTLEVY to 888777. Emergency alerts will begin today.

Citrus County

Citrus County Parks & Recreation Facilities, senior community centers and sandbag sites will close Tuesday at 6 p.m. due to potential weather impacts and will remain closed through Wednesday.

They are offering phone information lines that will be open Tuesday until 5 p.m. to answer any weather related or preparedness questions. Residents can call 352-249-2777, 352-249-2776 or 352-249-2775. Only use 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency.

The College of Central Florida will shift to remote operations at the Citrus and Levy Campuses for Wednesday. Online classes will meet as scheduled, while in-person classes at Citrus and Levy campuses are cancelled.

All CF employees who live or work in Citrus and Levy counties should work remotely. All classes and business operations at those two sites will resume as usual on Thursday, unless otherwise announced.

CF’s Marion County locations including the Ocala Campus, Hampton Center, Vintage Farm and Appleton Museum of Art will have classes, and business operations will remain open as usual.

Hernando County

Hernando County issued a voluntary evacuation order for coastal zone A (the area nearest the coast), low-lying and flood prone areas countywide.

In Hernando County, a general population, special needs and pet-friendly shelter opened today at 9 a.m. for residents in these zones located at 800 John Gary Grubbs Blvd., Brooksville, FL 34601. Visit this website to find the location of your evacuation zone.

Hernando County is still offering a limited supply of self-serve sandbags available until 5 p.m. at Linda Pedersen Park located at 6300 Shoal Line Blvd., Spring Hill, FL 34607. The sandbag site is self service only, so a shovel is required upon arrival.

Marion County

Because of the expected impact Tropical Storm Elsa may have on Marion County, summer school activities for Marion County Public School are canceled tomorrow. This means no school buses will run, no schools will be open, and no food service will be available.

As well, MCPS school district employees will telework from home if their jobs allow. Employees who cannot telework will have the opportunity to make up the day. MCPS anticipates normal operations to resume on Thursday if weather permits.

For more information, contact the Public Relations Office of Marion County Public Schools.

Alachua County

Santa Fe College will close at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will not reopen until Thursday, after the storm has passed.

The University of Florida also announced its Gainesville campus will be closed on Wednesday, as did Alachua County summer school programs.