Helene updates: Hurricane watch, tropical watch in effect for parts of south GA

ATLANTA — Here’s what you need to know:

• Gov. Kemp issued a State of Emergency that goes into effect immediately
• Tropical Storm Helene officially formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday morning
• Forecast to be a major landfall on Florida’s Big Bend late Thursday
• Tropical storm conditions expected in metro Atlanta later Thursday into Friday morning
• Heavy rain, strong wind likely including tropical storm force wind gusts
• Trees down, power outages likely
• Brief, spin up tornado risk along and east of the track of Helene

Tropical Storm Helene has officially formed in the northwest Caribbean Sea. On its current path, metro Atlanta and north Georgia could feel major impacts.

The National Hurricane Center’s update says Helene officially strengthened into a named tropical storm before 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Brad Nitz says the storm is currently large and disorganized, but is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday afternoon.

Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and a stretch of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the Florida Keys.

A hurricane watch has been issued for the following counties in Georgia: Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Cook, Colquitt, Decatur, Echols, Grady, Lanier, Lowndes, Mitchell and Thomas

A tropical storm watch has been issued for the following counties in Georgia: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill, Brantley, Bryan, Calhoun, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Coffee, Dougherty, Effingham, Evans, Glynn, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Liberty, Lee, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Tattnall, Terrell, Tift, Turner, Ware, Wayne and Worth.

HELENE TIMELINE

It’s expected to be a major hurricane by the time it makes landfall on Florida’s coast later on Thursday and will move across Georgia late Thursday night into Friday morning.

Monahan says the current track will see Tropical Storm Helene make its way toward metro Atlanta and into north Georgia later Thursday night and early Sunday morning.

Exactly how strong the storm will be when it makes it to the area is still unclear because it will continue to weaken as it spends more time over land.

Along that path, heavy rain and strong wind gusts are likely in north Georgia.

Monahan says the storm is making its way through the Caribbean very quickly and should continue moving fast after making landfall.

Tropical Storm Helene isn’t the only storm posing a threat to the metro Atlanta area. Before it moves in, the area will be faced with a cold front that will bring heavy rains along with it.

With those heavy rains likely over parts of the area well ahead of Tropical Storm Helene, on Wednesday and early Thursday, localized flooding is possible.

Areas to the east of the center of the storm could also be at risk of a tornado, so depending on the exact path it takes, parts of metro Atlanta could be included in that risk.

Strong gusts of winds could knock down trees and power lines, leading to power outages across the area.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Governor Brian Kemp is encouraging Georgians to go ahead and start making a plan now.

“As we prepare for and monitor this major storm system, I ask all Georgians to pay close attention to trusted news sources and local authorities for updates in the coming days. Remain weather aware and make preparations for you and your loved ones,” he wrote in a statement on X.

The White House released the following statement:

“President Biden has been briefed on Tropical Storm Helene, and the Biden-Harris Administration is in touch with officials from states in the path of the storm. Federal resources and personnel are prepositioned, including generators, food, and water, along with search and rescue and power restoration teams. At the direction of the President, FEMA has also deployed teams to Florida and Alabama to embed with local emergency response personnel to support their efforts, as needed. We urge residents in the path of the storm to stay vigilant, visit ready.gov for tips on how to stay safe, and heed the warnings of local officials, especially those instructed to evacuate.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.