Storm Survived, County Eyes Rivers and the Weekend

Having emerged relatively unscathed from a storm front that barged through the county Tuesday and Wednesday, emergency management officials are keeping a close look at the Apalachicola and Chipola River and projected cresting this weekend.

The county was drenched by more than five inches of rain over a 24-hour period, more than half of the dousing coming Wednesday morning amid tornado warnings and stiff winds.

While observers could see the "cell of rotation", as weather forecasters label such potential sources for tornadoes, pass through Port St. Joe at roughly 9:20 a.m., the hulking black cloud spewed no tornadoes and no significant damage.

The primary concern in the county throughout Wednesday was standing water.

While several roads were washed over by rain as the heaviest rains raged through the county, the lone sustained road closure was at U.S. 98 between Avenue A and Industrial Road in Port St. Joe.

That span of roadway was closed all of Wednesday afternoon and much of the evening. It is expected to be reopend sometime before midnight Wednesday.

Motorists needing to travel west from Port St. Joe, or east into Port St. Joe, on U.S. 98 were forced to detour to State 71 and use Industrial Road to return back to U.S. 98.

No property damage was reported despite severe thunderstorms and the tornado warning Wednesday morning. No power outages were reported and Progress Energy, which serves more than half the county, had trucks in the county all day.

Cape San Blas and St. Joseph Peninsula were pounded by heavy surf and pounding waves all day, but the Stump Hole area of County 30-E, historically a particularly vulnerable area given that County C-30E is the lone artery onto the peninsula, held well and the Indian Pass Road, which was washed over by Tropical Storm Ida several weeks ago, remained open throughout the day.

It will not be clear for a day or more to what extent, if any, the newly restored beach on the peninsula suffered sand loss.

The county remains under a coastal flood watch until 3 a.m. ET Thursday morning.

There is a flood warning for the Apalachicola-Chipola River system, particulary for low-lying areas in the north end of the county, for Saturday afternoon.

The Honeyville Shelter was made available as emergency management officials and residents in low-lying areas look toward the weekend and the potential for river flooding.

Low water levels allowed the rivers to absorb the nearly 5 inches of rain that fell during Tropical Storm Ida, but the rivers have risen since Ida several weeks ago.