Note: The following came through just as this posting was added about Tropical Storm Fred. – KtE

Update:

The Polk School District is going to keep students home on Tuesday as a precaution due to the likelihood of severe weather impacting the area because of Tropical Storm Fred, but they’ll still have to keep up their work.

Per the PSD Facebook page, students and staff will be utilizing online resources for a Distance Learning Day, and assignments will be posted online. Those without internet or power or who are impacted by the storm will have the opportunity to get assignments on Wednesday when returning to school.

Here’s the full posting from the PSD:

Due to severe weather predictions, Polk School District will be having a Distance Learning Day on Tuesday, August 17, for ALL students and staff. Students should refer to their teacher’s websites for assignments. Should students not have power, internet, or a device; they will be able to get their assignments when they return to school on Wednesday. We apologize for the inconvenience but the safety of our students and staff remains our number one priority. Thank you for your continued partnership.

No additional closings or changes to schedules have yet been announced. Check back for more as the situation develops.

Previously posted:

The National Weather Service has already posted a dreary outlook for the coming days as Tropical Storm Fred is set to make landfall on the Florida panhandle, then is heading toward Polk county and Northwest Georgia with a lot of rainfall.

A flash flood watch starts at 2 a.m. for Polk County and extends through Wednesday morning and includes neighbors Bartow, Haralson, and Paulding counties.

Tropical Storm Fred is expected to make landfall by this afternoon as it moves 9 mph on a northward track toward Panama City, or points east or west between Tallahassee and Pensacola. Once it begins to push inland with winds currently sustained at 50 mph, it is expected to weaken to a Tropical Depression as severe weather pushes inland over the next 48 hours.

The forecast calls for 2 to 5 inches of rain, winds up to 25 mph on Tuesday, with the additional likelihood of severe thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes.

Tropical Storm Fred has already impacted Cuba after forming this past Thursday, skirting the northern coast of the island, and is developed from a Tropical Depression to a named Tropical Storm and entered the gulf.

Check back for more about Tropical Storm Fred as the forecast develops through the rest of the day and into Tuesday morning.