Bulloch County Public Safety Director Ted Wynn continues to watch now Tropical Storm Idalia on Sunday, August 27, 2023. Wynn and Bulloch EMA will continue to monitor this system and advise Bulloch County citizens to do also as the forecast and timing could change over the next few days.
It is expected to become a hurricane which based on its current projected path at 5 pm Sunday and it could impact the west coast of Florida early Wednesday morning. The projected path has shifted more southeast, but we are still well within the cone of uncertainty, so Wynn urges citizens in Bulloch to stay vigilant.
The projected path as of 5 pm Sunday is in the graphic above. Wynn will provide the next update early Monday morning. At this time, Bulloch should prepare for possible tropical storm force winds and heavy rain.
The NHC 5 pm update said Idalia is forecast to become a hurricane over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds along portions of the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle beginning as early as Tuesday.
Although it is too soon to specify the exact location and magnitude of these impacts, residents in these areas should monitor updates to the forecast and follow any advice given by local officials. Storm surge and hurricane watches have been issued for portions of the west coast of Florida and the coast of the Florida Panhandle, and residents in these areas should monitor updates to the forecast and follow any advice given by local officials.
Potential Impacts to Georgia
Will Lanxton, Meteorologist with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) issued this projection Sunday morning.
Tropical storm force and potentially hurricane-force winds are forecast to move into southern Georgia on Wednesday morning and afternoon. Downed trees and power lines are likely, especially closer to the center of the storm, producing widespread power outages across South and Central Georgia. As the storm takes a turn to the northeast, the strongest winds and heaviest rainfall will shift into eastern Georgia. Much of southern and eastern Georgia could receive 4 to 6 inches of rainfall from this system. While this could produce some isolated flooding issues, widespread flooding is not currently expected due to below-normal recent rainfall. A few brief tornadoes will also be possible near and east of the center of the track. Storm surge along the Georgia coast is expected to be low, but higher than normal water levels will be common.
Please monitor all forecast updates from the National Hurricane Center (hurricanes.gov), your local National Weather Service office (weather.gov), and reliable media outlets over the next few days as this system approaches the Gulf Coast. There is still a good bit of uncertainty in both the track and intensity forecasts, so shifts in future forecast packages could greatly affect the expected impacts to Georgia.
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