De Soto National Memorial closed until further notice in aftermath of Emily

A surprise tropical storm forced De Soto National Memorial to close Monday — and stay that way until further notice.

Tropical Storm Emily caused street flooding, downed trees and sporadic power outages in Manatee County on Monday.

De Soto National Memorial Visitor Center and trails were closed Monday until further notice, and had not yet reopened as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the memorial’s Facebook page.

“Due to falling debris, tree limbs and tidal surge please do not come to the park. Please stay away for safety until the storm passes. We will notify the public once the park is made safe for your use,” the post, made at 12:13 p.m. Monday, stated.

Storm damage, including branches and other debris, also closed Emerson Point Preserve Monday, but the preserve was open again Tuesday, according to preserve’s Facebook page.

The tropical storm, which had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, made landfall on Anna Maria Island around 10:45 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service. It later weakened to a tropical depression before making its way across the state, but not before Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 31 counties.

Officials with the National Weather Service have determined that a weak tornado caused by Tropical Storm Emily hit northwest Bradenton.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 10:06 PM with the headline "De Soto National Memorial closed until further notice in aftermath of Emily."