Hurricane Michael is now at 145 mph. Here’s the expected impact on the Columbus area
With Hurricane Michael and its 145 mph winds churning Wednesday toward the northeast Gulf Coast, forecasts for Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley region indicate tropical storm conditions are possible, including heavy rain, gusty winds and thunderstorms.
Forecasts show the Columbus area should be relatively quiet until about 2 p.m. Wednesday. That’s when thunderstorms will become more numerous and winds will begin to ramp up in speed. Heavy and steady rain and wind is expected to start locally sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., with winds beginning to gust toward 40 mph. Wind gusts could remain in the 35 mph-plus range overnight, dying down somewhat by daybreak Thursday morning. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain are expected.
The approaching storm clouds prompted Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to declare a state of emergency for 92 counties in the state, including Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Talbot, Marion, Stewart, Sumter, Taylor, Schley, Quitman and Webster south and east of Columbus. Harris and Troup counties north of Columbus are not part of the state of emergency.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also declared a statewide emergency in her state, which includes Russell, Lee, Chambers and Barbour counties near Columbus.
“In light of the storm’s forecasted track, I encourage Georgians in the affected counties to be prepared and remain vigilant,” Deal said of his emergency declaration.
The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning Tuesday for the Georgia counties of Bibb, Bleckley, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Emanuel, Glascock, Houston, Jefferson, Johnson, Laurens, Macon, Marion, Montgomery, Peach, Schley, Stewart, Taylor, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington, Wheeler and Wilkinson. In Alabama, Barbour (Eufaula) and Pike counties are under a tropical storm warning.
“Prepare for life-threatening rainfall flooding having possible extensive impacts across portions of central and east Georgia from Columbus to Athens and south,” the weather service said in a “hurricane local statement” Tuesday morning.
“A tropical storm watch has been issued for the counties along and south of a line from Americus (Ga.) east-northeast to Swainsboro (Ga.),” the weather service said. “A flash flood watch has been issued for areas along and south of a line from Madison County to Chattahoochee County. The strongest wind gusts associated with the storm are expected to impact areas along and south of Warrenton to Macon to the Columbus line. Downed trees and extended power outages will be possible in these areas as a result.”
The Category 4 hurricane, with 145 mph winds near its core as of 8 a.m. EDT Wednesday will reach the Gulf Coast on Wednesday afternoon near Panama City Beach, Fla. Tropical storm winds will reach the coast earlier in the day and then begin to spread inland.
The current track (as of 8 a.m. Wednesday) by the National Hurricane Center in Miami places the center of the storm passing directly over Panama City Beach. A hurricane warning stretches from Pensacola, Fla., eastward along the Panhandle to near Cedar Key in the bend of Florida. A major threat along the coast will be storm surge.
Michael’s center track, after the storm arrives on the Florida coast, is projected to curve northeast into southwest Georgia over Albany and east of Macon and Warner Robins. It is expected to cut a rapid path across the Peach State toward the Carolinas and areas flooded severely last month by Hurricane Florence.
Areas farther east in Georgia, such as in Albany and Macon, also have a chance for “weak short-lived tornadoes,” the service said in a hazardous weather bulletin. Significant power outages along the storm’s path are a high probability.
A map posted by the National Hurricane Center Wednesday continued to show the Columbus area with as much as a 70 percent chance of experiencing tropical storm winds from Michael, which would be at least 39 mph. A separate map shows Columbus could see rain totals between 2 and 4 inches from the storm. Areas east of Columbus, including central Georgia, are in a zone of 4 to 6 inches, with heavier amounts higher depending upon the location of persistent rain bands as remnants of Hurricane Michael move toward the northeast.
The good news from Hurricane Michael is that once the storm exits the Southeast, it is expected to take the higher-than-average October temperatures with it. The National Weather Service now forecasts mostly sunny and clear skies for the Columbus area heading into the weekend, with a high in the uppers 70s to near 80 Friday, and low in the upper 50s Friday night. Temps could possibly slide a few degrees more into next week.
This story was originally published October 8, 2018 at 1:44 PM.