State Of Emergency Declared For Parts Of Florida As Tropical Storm Batters Coast

Tropical Storm Emily has officially touched down off the coast of Florida, just west of Bradenton. Since this morning, the Governor has declared a state of emergency for 31 counties in both central and southern parts of the state. Developing seemingly overnight, this storm has brought with it heavy rain and intense winds. Here's more on this storm and where it's predicted to go next:

Making landfall along Florida's western coast, Tropical Storm Emily formed quickly and has since made an intense impact.

The center of the storm made landfall at approximately 10:45 AM Monday on Anna Maria Island.

With sustained winds up to 45 MPH, Emily has been the fifth designated storm in the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Tropical storm warnings are still under effect for the Tampa and St. Petersburg area from Lee County to Pinellas County.

As of 1:00 today, portions of Hillsborough County had received up to eight inches of rainfall. Street flooding in areas prompted closures of major roads.

According to officials, Emily will cross the Florida Peninsula and then will exit towards the Bahamas by Tuesday morning.

While the storm is relatively slow-moving, residents in the effected areas of Florida can expect continued rainfall until then.

This brief video gives an idea of just how strong the winds hit early this morning:

That hit super fast. #emily

A post shared by Bob Walicki (@robtwalicki) on Jul 31, 2017 at 7:54am PDT

Our thoughts go out to all those who have been affected by this intense storm along the gulf of Florida. If you have any thoughts about this ongoing storm, feel free to share them here.