[UPDATE]: North Georgia will be under a wind advisory Thursday and Friday as Hurricane Nicole prepares to make landfall in Florida and move north, according to the National Weather Service.
Counties under the advisory, which includes all of metro Atlanta, should expect winds up to 25 mph and gusts of 40 mph from 1 a.m. Thursday to 7 p.m. Friday. Unsecured objects, such as tree limbs, could be blown down and power outages may occur.
Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan is expecting up to 2 inches of rainfall across North Georgia as the precipitation continues through about midday Friday.
“We actually need some rain,” he said. “It’s been a really dry fall, and we’re going to get some much-needed rain with Nicole as it moves across North Georgia. The wind we could probably do without.”
Nicole was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday evening as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island.
Coastal Georgia, including Chatham, Bryan and Liberty counties, are under a tropical storm warning and could get up to 57-mph winds. A storm surge watch is in effect, but the NWS said it is not expected.
Conditions, however, are favorable for tornadoes and some flooding. A high surf advisory is also in effect for the coasts of Bryan, Chatham, Liberty, McIntosh, Camden and Glynn counties. Large breaking waves up to 15 feet could be expected until 7 p.m. Friday.
[ORIGINAL STORY]: After a stretch of above-average temperatures, metro Atlanta is back to typical November weather with highs in the upper 60s Wednesday.
It’s a little cooler outside first thing Wednesday morning, with lows in the 50s, and there is no rain to worry about for the morning drive, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan. It will get wet around here to end the week as Tropical Storm Nicole makes its approach, he said.
“We have a breezy day, a cooler day, but a mostly sunny one,” Monahan said of Wednesday’s forecast. “It’s going to be pretty outside — you’re just going to need the jacket and long sleeves.”
Monahan said North Georgia will see the first impacts from Nicole on Thursday. The storm is expected to make landfall on the east coast of Florida at or near hurricane strength later this evening, and its current forecasted track will take it northeast across far eastern Georgia.
It would be the first time a hurricane has made U.S. landfall in the month of November since Hurricane Kate, which hit the Florida Panhandle in 1985 as a Category 2 hurricane.
Tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been issued for coastal Georgia, including Savannah and surrounding areas. The National Hurricane Center expects tropical storm-force winds beginning early Thursday morning until early Friday morning. While the storm’s track, size and intensity remain uncertain, there is potential for wind gusts up to 57 mph.
“Multiple hazards will extend well north and east of Nicole`s center,” the National Weather Service said in an advisory for southeast Georgia. “Coastal flooding is expected and dangerous storm surge inundation is possible close to the coast, especially around the times of the morning high tides today through Friday. Also, locally excessive rainfall is possible, especially Thursday and Thursday night.”
There is also the risk of tornadoes along the coast. Monahan said he does not expect any severe weather in North Georgia with Nicole’s current track. Clouds will begin to thicken up Thursday morning, and heavy rain will move in by Thursday night, he said.
It will be “messy, washout kind of weather” for much of the day on Friday before Nicole pulls away and North Georgia gets a chance to dry out. Much cooler air will move in behind the tropical system, dropping temperatures into the 40s overnight.
By Sunday, Monahan expects upper 40s and low 50s for highs across the region.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
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