HURRICANE IAN UPDATE (11 a.m., Wednesday)
Columbia County’s constitutional officers are closing their offices Thursday and Friday for Hurricane Ian.
The Tax Collector, Property Appraiser and Supervisor of Elections offices will all be closed Thursday and Friday before resuming normal operations Monday.
The Columbia County Health Department and Environmental Health offices are also closing Thursday and Friday so health officials can perform emergency functions throughout the county during the storm event. Those offices will also re-open for normal operations Monday.
The county offices at the Courthouse Annex are also closed Thursday and Friday as was announced Tuesday morning.
Columbia County officials also announced Wednesday morning that the baseball and softball tournaments scheduled at the Southside Sports Complex this weekend have been canceled. Those cancellations have created some availability in hotel rooms in the Lake City. However, people are still encouraged to contact the hotels to make reservations and check availability before coming to Columbia County.
Currently, there are no watches or warnings for Columbia County and the forecasted weather conditions for the county have improved as the storm has shifted east.
Rainfall is anticipated to be between and 4-6 inches with sustained winds between 20-25 mph and gusts up to 30-40 mph. The rain and winds are expected Thursday through Friday and have the potential to continue into Saturday.