Getty Winds from Hurricane Irma blows tress in Haiti on September 7.
Hurricane Irma caused most school districts in South Florida to close schools for Thursday. Dozens of counties across the state and in the path of the Category 5 hurricane have followed suit, cancelling classes for Friday and Monday. State universities and colleges have also cancelled classes and weekend activities. Below is a full list of public schools that will be closed because of Irma.
The 8 a.m. ET Friday projection from the National Hurricane Center predicts that the storm will reach the Florida Keys by late Saturday into Sunday morning and will continue battering the state until Monday. It is moving west-northwest at 16 mph and has a maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. It will continue to be a major hurricane until it reaches further inland, into Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
.@FLGovScott has directed all state universities to close Sept 8-11. Please refer to t.co/dOGAg3YyiG for further updates. #USF
The NWC also issued hurricane hurricane warnings for all of Florida from Jupiter south, including the Florida Keys. It’s estimated that the storm surge for Jupiter Inlet to Bonita Beach, including Florida Keys, will be between five and 10 feet.
A storm surge warning is now in effect for “Jupiter Inlet southward around the Florida peninsula to Bonita Beach” and the Florida Keys. A storm surge watch is in effect for “Jupiter Inlet southward around the Florida peninsula to Bonita Beach,” Florida Keys, Lake Okeechobee and Florida Bay.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for “North of Jupiter Inlet to Sebastian Inlet.”
“A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations,” the NWC says. “For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials.”
Below is the full list of school closings from Governor Scott’s website. Scott already issued a State of Emergency declaration on September 4, allowing local governments to prepare for the storm early.
Updates are also posted at the Florida Department of Education’s Irma page.
K-12 Public Schools Closures
Alachua County (Monday)
Brevard County (Thursday, Friday)
Broward County (Thursday, Friday)
Charlotte County (Thursday, Friday)
Clay (Friday, Monday)
Collier County (Thursday, Friday)
DeSoto County (Thursday, Friday)
Dixie County (Friday, Monday)
Duval County (Friday, Monday)
Florida Atlantic University Lab School (Thursday, Friday)
Flagler County (Friday, Monday)
Glades County (Thursday, Friday)
Hardee County (Friday)
Hendry County (Thursday, Friday)
Hernando County (Thursday, Friday)
Highlands County (Friday, Monday)
Hillsborough County (Thursday, Friday)
Indian River County (Thursday, Friday)
Lake County (Early Release Friday – high schools at 1:20PM, elementary at 2PM, middle at 3PM, Monday)
Lee County (Thursday, Friday)
Manatee County (Friday)
Marion County will be (Friday, Monday)
Martin County (Thursday, Friday)
Miami-Dade County (Thursday, Friday)
Monroe County (Closed until further notice)
Nassau County (Friday, Monday)
Okeechobee County (Thursday, Friday)
Osceola County (Friday, Monday)
Orange County (Monday)
Palm Beach County (Thursday, Friday)
Pasco County (Friday)
Polk County (Friday)
Sarasota (Friday)
School for the Deaf and Blind (Thursday, Friday)
Seminole County (Monday)
St. Johns (Friday, Monday)
St. Lucie County (Thursday, Friday)
Volusia County (Friday, Monday, Cancelled ACT test administrations scheduled for Saturday, September 9, at area high schools.)
Florida College System Closures
Broward College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
College of Central Florida (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
Daytona State College (Thursday, Friday)
Eastern Florida State College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Florida Keys Community College (Closed until further notice)
Florida SouthWestern State College (Thursday, Friday)
Florida State College at Jacksonville (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
Hillsborough Community College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Indian River State College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Miami Dade College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
New College of Florida (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)
Palm Beach State College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Pasco-Hernando State College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
Polk State College (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
Seminole State College (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
St. Johns River State College (Friday until further notice)
St. Petersburg College (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Valencia College (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
State University System Closures
Florida Atlantic University (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Florida Gulf Coast University (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Florida International University (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Florida Polytechnic University (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)
University of Florida (Sunday, Monday)
University of Central Florida (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
University of North Florida (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
University of South Florida (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
