Forecasters expect weather system to become tropical storm
A weather system in the Atlantic Ocean is gathering steam and projected to become a tropical storm later Sunday before approaching the southeast U.S. coast as a hurricane in the next few days.
The system, which became a tropical depression Saturday morning, will have minimal impacts on Georgia as forecasters believe it will turn east off the Florida coast and won’t hit the U.S. directly.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, Tropical Depression Nine was located about 95 miles west of the Bahamas, with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The system was moving north at about 7 mph. It is expected to strengthen and becomes a tropical storm later Sunday and a hurricane by late Monday or Tuesday that will be named Imelda, the NHC said.
A tropical depression is a low-pressure area with winds up to 39 mph while tropical storm wind gusts can reach up to 73 mph. The center of the system is expected to remain offshore, but there is still a risk of heavy rainfall and winds for the southeast coast. The center of the system will travel across the Bahamas by Sunday night before turning east-northeast as it moves away from the southeastern U.S. in the coming days, the NHC said.
Florida’s east coast was under a tropical storm watch Sunday as rainfall and strong winds from the system are projected to impact the state and areas southeast of the peninsula over the weekend.
Tropical storm conditions were possible in Florida starting Monday and heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding through Wednesday in the coastal Carolinas, where between 2-4 inches of rain are expected, the NHC said. In recent days, the governors of North and South Carolina each declared a state of emergency in preparation of the storm.
But the good news is that there is increased confidence from forecasters Sunday that the system will make “an eastward turn off the Florida” coast.
“The size of the wind field will likely increase early/mid next week as storm slows down, then moves eastward,” the National Weather Service in South Carolina said.
GEMA/HS predicts 2-3 inches of rain in eastern and coastal Georgia counties between Monday and Wednesday. The system will likely have “minimal impacts on North and Central GA,” as it moves east, according to the NHC.
“Current track would bring some isolated showers to the area Monday & Tuesday, with breezy easterly winds throughout the week,” the NWS in Atlanta said Sunday.
Still, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency said it is prepared and would have resources, such as water, tarps, sandbags and ready-to-eat meals, at warehouses across the state for quick deployment. Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters in Savannah on Friday that authorities were watching the system.
According to the NHC, eastern Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Bahamas, which are under a tropical storm warning, could also see flash and urban flooding, with possible mudslides, as the center moves across Sunday.
Last September, Hurricane Helene claimed nearly 150 lives after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The historic storm caused $79 billion in damage across the Southeast, with parts of Georgia still facing a long recovery.
