Hurricane Idalia to bring tropical storm conditions to Middle Georgia

We have been closely tracking Hurricane Idalia today as it continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico.

Overnight we are expecting the storm to strengthen to a Category 3, major hurricane.

Once the storm makes landfall, likely in the Big Bend of Florida, we will start to see impacts here in Georgia.

Ahead of the storm, the National Weather Service has issued Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings for the highlighted counties (above).

These are the areas that will likely see the biggest impact as the storm moves north.

These panels show our in-house model, depicting a likely timing for the storm to move into the area.

Heavy rain and storms will start as early as 8 am, with potential hurricane-force winds moving in by the afternoon hours.

At times our area will be in what we call the “dirty side” of the storm, which is the upper right quadrant (northeast).

This area will see the best chance of spin-up tornadoes.

Wednesday evening the center of the storm will be moving east towards the coast, leaving us with gusty winds and a few scattered showers.

One of the biggest impacts we are watching will be the strong winds.

Expect to see our strongest winds in the south and eastern counties.

Sustained winds through the day will range from 20-30 mph, with wind gusts from 50-60 mph.

Combining these winds with heavy rain throughout the day could help to bring down trees and power lines.

Rain totals across the area will range from 2-6″, with some spots seeing up to 8″.

A Flood Watch has been issued for all of Middle Georgia through Thursday.

Some flash flooding will be possible, so make sure you are safe if you have to drive in these conditions.

Remember “turn around, don’t drown”, when you see water over the roadways.

Now is the time to prepare for the storm and potential power outages.

Make sure your electronics are charged and you have multiple ways to get severe weather warnings.