JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Editor's Note: This story will be updated as more closures are announced.
Counties on the First Coast — in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia — have began announcing closures Tuesday ahead of Tropical Storm Helene's arrival, which is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before making landfall.
The National Hurricane Center classified Helene as a tropical storm in its 11 a.m. Tuesday advisory. With the storm forecast to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night, 61 counties in the Sunshine State are under a state of emergency.
Here's a list of closures on the First Coast, county-by-county, due to Helene.
Northeast Florida
Columbia County
1) Florida Gateway College (FGC), including all offices and campuses, will be closed on Thursday and Friday. All in-person classes, college activities and events during this time are canceled or postponed.
Normal operations for FGC are expected to resume on Monday. Students and employees should monitor their college email accounts, college social media channels and the college's website here for updates.
Duval County
1) Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan announced Tuesday afternoon in a press conference that all schools part of Duval County Public Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
Clay County
Closures have not yet been announced.
Nassau County
Closures have not yet been announced.
St. Johns County
Closures have not yet been announced.
Baker County
Closures have not yet been announced.
Putnam County
Closures have not yet been announced.
Southeast Georgia
Camden County
1) Cumberland Island National Seashore will be closed starting on Wednesday "until further notice," according to the National Park Service. A mandatory evacuation is in place.
All campers, visitors, staff and volunteers must depart the island on the 2:45 p.m. or 4:45 p.m. ferry on Tuesday. The last boat departing the island is at 4:45 p.m. from the Sea Camp dock.
The Mainland Museum and Plum Orchard will be closed Tuesday "until further notice."
The park will remain closed until the storm has passed and it is deemed reasonably safe.
Glynn County
Closures have not yet been announced.
Ware County
Closures have not yet been announced.
