Beaufort County residents should stay inside as weather conditions worsen, Sheriff’s Office says

As Beaufort County saw the first effects of Tropical Storm Irma Monday morning, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office warned of weather conditions that were “rapidly deteriorating,” according to an alert sent out through Nixle.

Residents should avoid going outside and driving, and especially driving on bridges, the Sheriff’s Office alert stated.

Beaufort County has experienced wind gusts of 60 miles per hour, while over 13,000 Beaufort county residents were without power as of 9:15 a.m.

Weather conditions are expected to worsen throughout Monday. Beaufort County residents can expect storm surge and strong winds.

Irma, which was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early Monday morning, battered Florida on Sunday. It continued to move north into Georgia Monday morning.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Beaufort County residents should stay inside as weather conditions worsen, Sheriff’s Office says."