News Summary
A low-category hurricane, soon to be named Imelda, is forecasted to affect coastal Georgia and the Carolinas early next week. The National Weather Service has advised residents to prepare for severe weather, including flooding, high winds, and potential tornadoes. The storm, which is currently near Cuba, is expected to reach tropical storm status over the weekend. Emergency preparations are already in progress in various cities, including Savannah, with sandbag distribution for flood risk mitigation.
Savannah – A low-category hurricane, soon to be named Imelda, is projected to impact coastal Georgia and the Carolinas early next week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Conditions are expected to start deteriorating later on Monday, September 30, 2023.
Current forecasts indicate that Invest 94L, which has been designated as “Potential Tropical Cyclone 9,” will likely organize into a cyclone over the weekend. This weekend’s rain in Savannah, however, is not related to the impending storm. Once it reaches hurricane strength, residents in coastal areas stretching from Georgia to the southern mid-Atlantic can expect severe weather, including:
- Flooding
- High surf
- Rip currents
- Beach erosion
- Heavy rainfall
- High winds
- Possible tornadoes
The NWS anticipates that the most severe weather conditions will occur from late Monday night through Tuesday night. However, uncertainties exist regarding the storm’s exact track due to its interaction with another system, Hurricane Humberto. Residents are therefore urged to have their hurricane plans ready.
The City of Savannah is currently in Operating Condition 4, the monitoring phase, with emergency response personnel on standby. Savannah residents can acquire sand and sandbags on September 27 and 28, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last. Sandbags are limited to five per household, and residents are expected to bring their own shovels. Sand and sandbags will be distributed at two sites:
- EnMarket Arena Parking Lot (630 Stiles Ave.)
- Savannah Fire Station #7 (6902 Sallie Mood Drive)
In addition, Port Wentworth Emergency Management plans to provide updates on potential road closures due to flooding on Facebook. The City of Pooler has also prepared sand and sandbags, with availability to be confirmed on Sunday, September 29. Public Works crews in Pooler have been tasked with inspecting culverts and cleaning drains to help mitigate flooding risks.
Forecasters are closely monitoring Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine and Hurricane Humberto as they may have significant impacts on Georgia, the Carolinas, and possibly Virginia. A preemptive state of emergency has been declared in South Carolina to allow for swift response measures. As of now, Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is situated near eastern Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas, with sustained winds of 35 mph.
The storm is expected to reach tropical storm status by Saturday night or Sunday morning when winds could increase to 40 mph. As a precaution, Tropical Storm Warnings are currently in effect for the central Bahamas, while Tropical Storm Watches cover the northwestern Bahamas. Weather impacts from the storm are anticipated to start affecting Georgia late Friday and continue through Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center’s forecast suggests that Imelda could achieve hurricane status just off the Southeastern coast by late Monday. Various cities and counties are taking preventive actions, including deploying stormwater pumps and lowering local lake levels in Charleston, South Carolina. Duke Energy is also monitoring the storm’s path, noting that many of the potential routes could affect their service area.
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Additional Resources
- Savannah Now
- Google Search: Savannah weather
- WJCL
- Wikipedia: Hurricane
- The Weather Channel
- Encyclopedia Britannica: hurricane
- Fox Weather
- Google News: tropical storm
