Hurricane Milton Update and North Georgia Weather

Good afternoon, North Georgia! It is Tuesday, October 8th, so we are over two weeks into fall and have yet to see temperatures drop significantly. Athens and most of North Georgia still have resting daytime temperatures in the lower 80s and upper 70s. Which, climatologically speaking, is slightly above average for this time of year. Nevertheless, we welcome the beautiful weather with open arms and advise everyone to get outside and enjoy it while it lasts.

Focusing on Athens, the future is full of warm and bright weather! Tonight we will drop to 58 degrees. The already limited westerly winds will calm out even more, and the sky will remain clear throughout the night. And as we move into tomorrow, temperatures will jump back into the upper 70s with a high of 78 degrees for us! The sky will have almost no clouds, so the sun will shine on us for most of the day! However, while Athens might enjoy this beautiful fall weather, events in the gulf must be addressed bceause the situion is dire.  

Hurricane Milton regained Category 5 strength Tuesday afternoon, and it continues to power through the warm gulf waters toward the west coast of Florida. Milton, which will make landfall as a major hurricane Thursday night, is predicted to bring about catastrophic storm surge, flooding, damaging winds, and torrential rain. 

Because of Milton, there are mandatory evacuations for much of Tampa Bay and the surrounding coastal settlements. Floridians are doing everything possible to prepare for this potentially deadly threat. To make matters worse, this event came just two weeks after hurricane Helene landed just north of the Florida Big Bend region, straining resources across the state. 

However, these areas will not be the only ones affected as Milton will cause extensive damage to the interior of Florida as it makes its way directly over the state. The NWS has issued a wide zone for flash flood threats, and hurricane watches and warnings are extending further north and south of the projected storm path. 

The situation surrounding Hurricane Milton is still fluid; it has already made its mark in the record book and hasn't made landfall yet. We advise everyone to stay weather-aware as this threat closes in.