Central Georgia could feel some rain and wind impacts as the remnants of Zeta pass by Thursday. Here is the latest:
What the storm is doing now:
Zeta maintains its category 1 hurricane status with winds of 90 mph. The storm is now moving a touch quicker to the north at 18mph.
Official National Hurricane Center Forecast:
Central Georgia remains outside of the cone of uncertainty. The most drastic change here is the forward speed of the storm. The storm is now expected to move inland early this evening and hold together as a tropical storm as it moves through northwest Georgia.
While we are not expecting tropical storm force conditions, wind gusts upwards of 50mph and sustained winds of 30mph are possible. This could lead to wind damage.
Thankfully, it looks like by early Thursday evening, this storm will be said and done and we can look ahead to some cooler weather to follow for Friday.
Potential Central Georgia Impacts:
The most likely time frame for this looks to come sometime before sunrise around 4am through the early afternoon. The highest wind gust values look to come before sunrise through mid morning. You will need to be very careful driving to work tomorrow.
As of now, only a half inch to 1.0" is likely over Central Georgia. The heaviest of the rain looks to miss us just to the north. This is why the track forecast is so important. A small shift could bring those heavier totals into Central Georgia.
It could be gusty at times as the remnant low passes by. Models have been consistently hinting at 35-45 mph gusts with isolated gusts as high as 50 mph are possible. If we do see gusts in this range, a few downed trees would be possible like on any gusty Georgia day.
Severe Weather Threat:
The Storm Prediction Center has counties south of Macon in a marginal (1 of 5) risk for severe storms Thursday.
Timing: 7AM-3PM
Threats: gusty wind, a brief isolated tornado or two, and heavy rain
Key Messages:
Early Thursday morning through early Thursday evening is the time frame to watch for possible tropical impacts here in central Georgia. Rain, gusty winds, and a few short-lived tornadoes are all possible as the system passes by.
