UF has announced classes are canceled and campus will be closed Tuesday in preparation of Hurricane Dorian.
The university posted on its Emergency Updates website Friday that the campus will be closed in preparation for the hurricane. A forthcoming announcement on whether classes will remain canceled and the campus will be closed on Wednesday will be shared once a decision has been made, according to the site.
An announcement on whether campus shelters will open for students, faculty and staff will be determined on the hurricane’s project impact, the site stated.
Hurricane Dorian is approximately 847 miles away from Gainesville with sustained winds of 110 mph which are expected to increase, according to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.
The possibility of Dorian’s projected path is still in question, said NWS-Jax Meteorologist Rob Frye.
“As of right now, there is high confidence that it will get to Florida,” Frye said. “But whether it makes landfall, goes through, or cuts all the way through the peninsula is still in question.”
NWS-Jax computer models are in agreement that Dorian will be a strong storm moving Northwest with a “pretty hefty switch in track” to the West or Northwest, he said.
As for Gainesville?
“We’ll have to wait and see; what happens if it makes landfall and goes north up the I-95 corridor?” Frye said.
The city should expect some gusty winds and “a massive amount of water,” between 12-15 inches, or even 18-20 inches in some areas. Tornadoes are also a possibility.
Freshwater flooding should be the number one thing to pay attention to in North Central FL, he said.
“Unfortunately, there’s going to be impacts, it looks like,” Frye said. “We’re pretty confident there will be impacts whether it be a direct or indirect (hit).”
Richard Henson (foreground) and his uncle, Peter Henson, prepare their grandmother's house Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, where she lives on Greenwood Drive in Fort Pierce, Fla., for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian. (Eric Hasert/TCPalm.com via AP)
