For the latest updates on Hurricane Helene, follow AJC’s live coverage and hour-by-hour forecasts.

SAVANNAH — Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has postponed a pair of campaign events in Georgia that were scheduled for Thursday as Hurricane Helene approaches the Florida coast.

Campaign officials say Vance’s stops in Macon and Flowery Branch will be rescheduled.

The National Weather Service predicted Helene would strengthen and hit the Florida Panhandle near Tallahassee sometime Thursday night as a Category 3 hurricane with winds over 110 mph.

Current models show the storm moving through Georgia on Friday, bringing 4 to 8 inches of rain to much of the state. North Georgia may get even more.

In August, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign postponed a stop in Savannah because of Tropical Storm Debby. She held a rally there a few weeks later that capped a two-day bus tour through coastal Georgia.

Former President Donald Trump, who stumped in Savannah on Tuesday, is still expected to attend Saturday’s college football matchup between Georgia and Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. By then, forecast models show the storm headed toward Tennessee and Kentucky.

This map shows the forecasted rainfall expected to hit Georgia with Helene from the National Hurricane Center as seen Wednesday, Sep. 25, 2024. Screenshot

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Credit: Screenshot

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