A tropical storm warning is in effect for much of North Georgia as the Southeast braces for strong winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Zeta.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday said tropical-storm force winds with gusts up to 70 mph are expected. The warning is in effect through Thursday morning, prompting many metro Atlanta school districts to suspend in-person classes ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Zeta reached Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Monday evening as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. It briefly weakened to a tropical storm but regained Category 2 strength before making landfall again Wednesday afternoon in southeastern Louisiana.
Zeta approached New Orleans with sustained winds of 110 mph and gusts as strong as 130 mph, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said.
The system is moving inland at 24 mph, which Nitz said was unusually fast.
“It is racing on shore and racing in our direction,” he said. “It’s moving into North Georgia as a tropical storm and we’re going to have widespread impacts across metro Atlanta.”
The latest path shows Zeta will likely hit Georgia early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. The last time Atlanta was under a tropical storm watch or warning was during Tropical Storm Nate in October 2017, according to the NWS.
Channel 2 meteorologists said to expect torrential rain, flooding and the potential for isolated tornadoes.
“We’re going to have a three- to four-hour window — let’s say about 4 a.m. tomorrow morning to about 8 a.m. tomorrow morning — where the weather is going to be really tough around here,” meteorologist Brian Monahan said Wednesday. “That’s going to be timed right through your morning commute.”
North Georgia can expect between 2 and 3 inches of rain, with as much as 4 inches possible in some areas north of I-20, according to the latest forecast.
A flash flood watch is in effect for all of North Georgia. It expires Thursday evening.
“We’re talking about 40-to-50 mph winds with some isolated higher gusts,” Nitz said. “Those kinds of winds will bring down trees, especially when you combine that wind with saturated soil from heavy rain.”
Those downed trees could lead to injuries, property damage and the possibility of widespread power outages, he warned.
Nitz suggested metro Atlanta residents charge their cellphones before going to bed Wednesday evening and keep extra batteries handy just in case. He also said it wouldn’t be a bad idea to secure outdoor furniture ahead of Thursday morning’s powerful winds.
The fast-moving storm is expected to clear out of metro Atlanta by Friday morning, leaving behind a dry Halloween weekend with highs in the mid-60s.
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