Hurricane Helene is headed towards Florida and surrounding states including Georgia. Heavy rainfall and potential flooding is expected throughout the course of the week.
The National Weather Service upgraded the tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane in its 10 a.m. Sept. 25 update.
For current watches and warnings from the National Weather Service, click here.
Further NWS weather advisory information is available for metro Atlanta and Southwest Georgia.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) has information on how to secure property and more ahead of hurricanes and tropical storms, read more here.
For more information about the storm, follow this blog or GPB.org/Storms for updates.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 6:15 p.m.
CNN is reporting that Hurricane Helene is forecast to reach catastrophic Category 4 strength when it makes landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 5:40 p.m.
Mayor Andre Dickens said at a Wednesday, Sept. 25, press conference that the city of Atlanta is prepared for heavy rainfall, strong winds and potential floods from Hurricane Helene.
The preparation includes a 24/7 staffing plan, activated emergency services and prepared shelters for the unhoused. Response teams, including the Department of Watershed, are monitoring flood-prone areas. The department has already cleared storm drains to mitigate flooding. Various departments are also coordinating tree and storm debris removal.
“We’re seeing the effects of heavy rains that are coming our way,” Dickens said. “We have to get prepared for whatever may come, so we prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
Read the full story here.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
We’ve got a list of school closures and event postponements at this link and will be constantly updating it as Helene approaches.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m.
Grady Hospital issued a statement notifying the public that it will remain open for operations regardless of the severe weather in the area:
“We are aware of the severe weather expected in our area due to Hurricane Helene. The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority. With that in mind, all of Grady’s clinics and neighborhood health centers will be closed starting Thursday, September 26, at Noon and remain closed on Friday, September 27. All elective and non-urgent procedures scheduled for Friday, September 27, will be rescheduled for a later date.
Grady Hospital will remain open and operational regardless of severe weather conditions. Grady’s leadership and emergency management team will closely monitor the latest weather developments.”
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 4:25 p.m.
Atlanta Public Schools has cancelled classes for Thursday and Friday.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 2:30 p.m.
Updates and tips from Georgia Power and the Red Cross
From GPB’s Orlando Montoya:
Hurricane force winds are now possible as far north as Macon as Georgia braces for Hurricane Helene.
The National Hurricane Center’s latest update has the entire state under hurricane or tropical storm warnings or a tropical storm watch.
The heaviest winds are expected Thursday night into Friday morning.
That will come after a front drops heavy rain today, making the ground wet and setting the stage for widespread power outages when the winds arrive.
John Kraft is the media spokesman for Georgia Power.
“It’s appropriate to call 911 if you see a downed power line,” he said. “We also caution residents who want to get out and start cleaning up storm debris to watch for downed wires that could be tangled in trees, fallen trees, lines that could be hidden in submerged water that could still be energized.”
The Red Cross is urging residents to prepare for three days without power.
Suzanne Lawler is the organization’s spokesperson in Georgia.
“Charging cellphones may become hard if you lose power,” she said. “So all of those phone numbers that we have in our phones and we just push a button and they just dial somebody, that may not happen in a storm. So you want to write down people’s phone numbers. Any important phone numbers that you have in your phone, write them down right now and have that with your important documents.”
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 2:15 p.m.
Some schools have already cancelled classes or events ahead of Helene’s arrival: Banks County Schools (closed Thursday and Friday); Clayton County Schools (indoor/outdoor events cancelled for today and Thursday); Hall County Schools (virtual classes Thursday and Friday); and Muscogee County Schools (closed Thursday and Friday).
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m.
An important update from Atlanta Watershed Management:
Due to a strong low-pressure system that may produce heavy rainfall, high winds, and potentially localized flooding, it is vital that Atlanta residents keep a close eye on local weather advisories. Residents should take the necessary precautions if they are under a flood warning or encounter flood conditions.
- Find safe shelter right away.
- Do not walk, swim, or drive through flood waters. The water can be contaminated or electrically charged. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
- Remember, just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- Stay off bridges over fast-moving water.
Depending on the type of flooding:
- Evacuate if told to do so.
- Move to higher ground or a higher floor.
- Stay where you are.
- Never drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic out of flooded areas.
For more information, please visit www.ready.gov/floods#prepare.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 12:40 p.m.
Tune into GPB.org at 5 p.m. today to watch the GEMA press conference about Hurricane Helene.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 12:35 p.m.
An update from GPB’s Sofi Gratas on how Hurricane Helene might affect Georgia’s peanut crops:
By late Tuesday afternoon, Jeremy Kichler with the University of Georgia Extension Office in Southwest Georgia’s Colquitt County, said he had farmers coming to him with peanut crop samples.
“To have the maturity checked on them,” Kichler said.
If they’re mature, Kichler says farmers will likely harvest crops up until the storm hits to stem potential losses.
“That’s the big question that we have right now is when to dig, if to dig, and you know, how far off from optimum maturity they are,” Kichler said.
Georgia peanuts are a multi-million dollar crop for the state. Cotton, a billion dollar crop, is also at risk with the storm though mostly if the white, fluffy bolls are already exposed.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 11:15 a.m.
Helene was upgraded to a hurricane just before 11 a.m. this morning. The latest forecast for Georgia shows the entire state under various watches and warnings as the hurricane moves up Florida’s Gulf Coast and eventually to Georgia and parts of the Southeastern US.
This image from the National Weather Service shows hurricane warnings in dark red, hurricane watches in bright red, tropical storm watches in pink, flood watches in green and high wind watches in gold. Visit weather.gov for your local forecast.
Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m.
GEMA held a press conference to give the state of Georgia’s first official response to Tropical Storm Helene. GEMA Director James C. Stallings led the conference with a few updates on the storm and how the state is preparing to respond to the storm.
“GEMA and Homeland Security is actively monitoring Tropical Storm Helene’s forecast and working with state and local partners to ensure that resources are available when needed,” he said. “We have prepositioned response teams and equipment to quickly address emergencies as they arise.
Stallings shared that Gov. Brian Kemp has issued a state of emergency for all Georgia counties.
“That makes the state resources available to all local governments and entities within the storm’s potential impacted area,” he said.
Tropical Storm Helene is expected to intensify quickly into a major hurricane tomorrow morning and become a major hurricane at Category 3 or stronger by Thursday.
“Heavy rainfall will begin across Georgia as soon as Wednesday night into Thursday morning,” Stallings said. “Heavier rain will start to overspread the state throughout the day and on Thursday. The heaviest impacts for us will be in Southern Georgia and we expect those to enter the state early with heavy rain and strong wind.”
He explained how this storm is very different than the most recent Hurricane Debby which he says was “a very slow, heavy rain event.”
“This is going to be a fast moving wind event with rain and so we anticipate a very different response,” he said.
Georgians in certain parts of the state can possibly expect high force winds, down tress causing power outages, flash flooding, tornadoes, and more. North and Central Georgia can expect to see major impacts as early as Friday morning to Friday afternoon.
Stallings encourages those wanting to stay up to date with information to follow official GEMA social media accounts.
Tuesday, Sept. 24 at noon
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper issued a statement urging farmers and producers to prepare for the severe weather coming from Tropical Storm Helene.
“Our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture is closely monitoring the development of Tropical Storm Helene in coordination with GEMA and other state agencies,” Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said. “To Georgia farmers and producers in the potential impact zone – now is the time to prepare and make a plan to keep your family and your farm safe. As the storm approaches, we urge all Georgians in its path to remain vigilant and follow a trusted news source for updates.”
Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 11:30 a.m.
The National Hurricane Center provided an update with the latest news on what is now Tropical Storm Helene. NHC Deputy Director Jamie Rhome says the storm has acquired enough organization to be classified a tropical storm instead of being classified a Potential Tropical Cyclone No. 9.
He explained the storm will approach the Florida peninsula as a major storm on Thursday.
“It is going to be a big storm — and by ‘big’ I mean not intensity; I mean size,” he said. “And big storms cause big problems.”
Rhome says those in states like Georgia, South Caroline and Alabama can expect more updates on the storm in subsequent updates.
In the excessive rainfall outlook, he says surrounding states, including Georgia, can expect to receive heavy rainfall and potential flooding.
“We could see a potential big rain event unfolding for you.”
Monday, Sept. 23
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, a disturbance located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and headed into the Gulf of Mexico. The organization forecasts over the next seven days that the weather system has a 90% chance of becoming a tropical storm and, potentially, a hurricane.
If that happens, its name will be “Helene.”
As of Monday, Sept. 23, the National Weather Service reported the system, southwest of Cuba, is moving toward the north near 6 mph (9 km/h). A northwestward motion is expected on Tuesday and Tuesday night, followed by a faster northward or north-northeastward motion on Wednesday and Thursday.
“On the forecast track, the center of the system is forecast to move across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the next couple of days,” the agency predicted. “Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected during the next few days, and the system is forecast to become a hurricane on Wednesday and continue strengthening as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
A map of the potential storm cone (see image above) predicts that the center of the cone will cross the Florida panhandle through the center of Georgia, potentially bringing heavy rains and strong winds on Thursday and Friday.
