Helene Should Impact CSRA Starting Thursday
Helene is expected to arrive in the Augusta area and most of the CSRA starting late Thursday and continuing into Friday morning.
Helene, the eighth named storm of this year’s hurricane season, is expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall near the Florida Panhandle late Thursday. A hurricane watch is in effect now in Florida from Tallahassee to Tampa. Ten to 15 feet of dangerous storm surge is forecast for Florida’s Big Bend area. Forecasters predict Tampa Bay could see 4 to 8 feet of storm surge.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency just ahead of Helene’s arrival. Up to 500 national guard troops will be prepared to respond to the storm
Hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings have already been issued for parts of Florida with forecasters predicting Helene could hit Florida as a major Category 3 hurricane.
“Helene is forecast to intensify and be near hurricane strength when it reaches the far northwestern Caribbean Sea early Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of western Cuba and the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula with hurricane conditions possible,” according to the National Weather Service in Tampa.
Helene Will Affect the Augusta Area and the CSRA
- Heavy rain, 3 to 6 inches, can be expected Thursday
- Gusty winds, 40 to 45 mph
- Tornadoes possible late in the day Thursday
- Heavy rain could lead to flash flooding and river flooding Thursday night into Friday morning
- Downed trees and widespread power outages should be expected
A flood watch will be in effect for Warren, Wilkes, Taliaferro, Washington, Emanuel, Hancock, Johnson, Glascock and Jefferson Counties from Wednesday through Friday.
Stay tuned to WGAC for the latest weather information. Also, updated information will be available at www.wgac.com, the WGAC Facebook page and www.augustatoday.com.
