Hurricane warning issued in SW Georgia as Helene intensifies

Much of southwest Georgia is under a hurricane warning as Tropical Storm Helene barrels toward Florida’s Panhandle, where it could become a major hurricane by the time it makes landfall.

The latest system to threaten the Gulf Coast is expected to strengthen to hurricane-force by late Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s projected to arrive in Florida by Thursday evening as a major hurricane, meaning a Category 3 or higher, with windspeeds potentially reaching 120 mph.

Helene, the eighth named storm of this year’s busy Atlantic hurricane season, is also forecast to dump loads of rain in Georgia over the next few days. It comes just a little over a month after most of the state dodged Hurricane Debby.

In anticipation of the storm, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon. The executive order calls up 500 National Guard troops to prepare for and respond to the storm. It lasts until Oct. 2 and orders state agencies to coordinate preparations for the storm’s immediate impact and aftermath.

As of Wednesday morning, a hurricane warning extends from the entirety of Florida’s Gulf Coast and further inland, encompassing nearly all of southwest Georgia, from Decatur to Clinch counties and northward into Ben Hill County, according to the National Weather Service. A tropical storm warning covers the rest of southwest Georgia from Seminole to Quitman counties and eastward into Albany.

A tropical storm watch has been issued across a swath of central Georgia, from just north of Macon to Americus and from Columbus east to Statesboro.

A tropical storm watch means that a cyclone with windspeeds exceeding 39 mph poses a threat within 48 hours. A warning is issued when the threat is imminent and is expected within 36 hours or less. The same criteria applies to hurricane watches and warnings, only that a hurricane carries windspeeds of 76 mph or higher.

The rest of the state is under a flood watch through Friday afternoon.

While Helene’s heaviest impact will be felt along the Florida coast and in South Georgia, meteorologist Marshall Shepherd, director of the University of Georgia’s Atmospheric Sciences Program, said the latest forecasts are concerning and that most of Georgia should be busy preparing. The impacts in Atlanta could be comparable to or worse than Hurricane Irma in 2017, Shepherd said, which downed trees and caused widespread power outages in the metro area.

Georgia Power, the state’s largest electric utility, and Georgia EMC, which represents 41 electric membership corporations primarily serving rural areas, both said they are monitoring the forecast and preparing to respond to any outages.

On Wednesday morning, an initial line of heavy rain, known as a “predecessor rain event,” is blanketing northwest Georgia, according to the NWS. It could bring between 2 and 4 inches to some areas before Helene’s rain arrives, meaning rainfall totals could reach 8 inches or more in certain areas by Friday.

There is also a risk of tornadoes forming in east Georgia on Friday morning as the storm continues north.

As the storm reaches Florida on Thursday afternoon, there will be the potential for life-threatening surges and damaging hurricane-force winds along the coast. Forecasts predict that the storm will make landfall in the areas between Panama City Beach and Cedar Key around 8 p.m.

In South Georgia, lashing winds and rain could devastate crops like cotton and pecans, which are in the middle of their harvest. While the storm will weaken as it moves inland, it will move quickly, meaning it’s expected to hold onto hurricane-force winds as it reaches metro Atlanta.

The severe weather could impact flights at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Delta Air Lines issued a travel advisory for flights traveling to, from or through several destinations in the forecasted path of the storm between Wednesday and Friday. Affected cities include Valdosta, Key West, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville and Hilton Head Island, among others.

Several schools across South Georgia, including Valdosta City Schools, Colquitt County High and Thomasville High, alerted families that they are monitoring the storm. As of Tuesday afternoon, however, classes were set to continue as scheduled, but a handful of high school football programs opted to reschedule their games.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon told his board Tuesday that starting Wednesday morning, the agency will be deploying staff to the State Operations Center in Atlanta to help respond to Helene.

Rabon said the agency will activate 70 game wardens with access to all-terrain vehicles, boats and other equipment to assist with disaster response across the state. Another 48 staffers will be available to help clear debris as needed.

”We’re preparing and we’ll be ready for whatever the storm brings to our state,” Rabon said.

By Friday, what is left of the storm should start make its way over the Midwest, but clouds and rain will remain in metro Atlanta’s forecast through early next week. That will keep high temperatures in the mid-70s to mid-80s, with even lower temps in the mountains.

Due to record-warm ocean temperatures, there is an 85% chance that we will end up with an above-average hurricane season before it ends Nov. 30, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts. According to the forecast, there is a 90% chance that we’ll see between 17 and 24 named storms — those with sustained winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, eight to 13 are expected to become hurricanes, including between four and seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

“The hurricane season got off to an early and violent start with Hurricane Beryl, the earliest category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement.

Beryl caused catastrophic damage and claimed approximately 20 lives in several Caribbean islands, with an additional death toll of about 25 people in Texas, Louisiana and Vermont.

The latest named system was Gordon, a tropical storm that stayed in the North Atlantic Ocean last week. Before that, it was Hurricane Francine, which struck Louisiana’s coast as a Category 2 storm Sept. 11.

The NWS has tips to ensure you, your family and your property are prepared to weather the storm — even if that means evacuating. Residents should make sure their devices are fully charged; store or secure outdoor objects; gather supplies including nonperishable food, water and medicine; and determine an emergency evacuation route. The NHC has more tips here.

You can find Red Cross evacuation maps for your county and state here: Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

Updated forecast path

— Staff writers Caroline Silva, Drew Kann, Taylor Croft and Savannah Sicurella contributed to this article.

» For a detailed forecast, visit www.ajc.com/weather.