The Hurricane Irma track has made a significant change, local emergency personnel officials have said, and the indication is that although the path has changed, Rowan County will still experience rain and a higher possibility of tropical storm force winds.

Rowan County responders continue to monitor the storm and be on alert.

According to county Emergency Services Chief Frank Thomason, with a more westward track, a reduction in the wind field may occur locally, however due to the overall size of the storm, and specifically to Rowan County, the higher possibility for tropical storm force winds (greater than 39 mph), would begin to be experienced here early Monday morning.

As with the wind, the likelihood of some reduction in total rainfall amounts may occur, however areas of the region could easily still experience four to six inches of total rainfall.

Even with these potential reductions, the real possibility remains for utility and other weather related issues to occur. While model guidance is becoming clearer as we move into the weekend, additional change could occur.

City Waste Management officials expect that there will be lots of debris left following strong winds and say they will continue their regularly scheduled pick-ups until sustained winds reach 35 miles per hour or until local authorities instruct the service to stop.