JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Winds are calmer and skies are drier as Post-Tropical Cyclone Irma continues to move northwest into Alabama and Tennessee. Temperatures started off cooler than normal this Tuesday morning, but they'll rebound into the middle the to upper 80s by the afternoon.
Water levels will slowly begin to recede, but we'll have to keep an eye on our rivers and creeks. Black Creek at Middleburg has already reached major flood stage of 30.52 feet, which is also a new record. The North Fork at Black Creek also reached a new record high flood level. The Santa Fe River near Fort White is expected to slowly rise through the end of the week and possibly reach another record near 35.5 feet.
The St. Johns River will continue to ebb and flow as the water makes its way back into the Atlantic, but high tides downtown will gradually trend downward in the coming days.
In the wake of Irma, we'll have a pleasant, mostly sunny pattern with only isolated chances for thunderstorms by Thursday and Friday. The seas will be slower to respond even as the winds die down. Be careful in the ocean as our risk of rip currents stays high and seas stay rough - and that's also thanks to Hurricane Jose in the Atlantic pushing swells our way.
Speaking of Jose, the National Hurricane Center keeps the storm curving away from us here in Jacksonville so please don't worry! We have plenty of time to watch this system.
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