The Calm Before Helene?

Good evening, Athens and North Georgia! We are just a couple of days out from Hurricane Helene (a Tropical Storm by the time it reaches Athens), making its impact on Georgia. Although we typically use the phrase "Calm before the storm" to describe the pleasant conditions prior to a storm impact, this phrase will not be applicable this week. 

A predecessor rain event in the form of a cold front will be sweeping across Georgia starting today and continuing through most of Thursday. Currently, Athens and much of North Georgia are under a Flood Watch for the next 24 hours; this stems from the heavy rainfall the front brings. Temperatures will dip down for Athens tonight with a low of 66. As for tomorrow, because of the heavy cloud cover, we will not see those super hot daytime temps like earlier in the week; we will likely rest around the low-70s.

Hurricane Helene will continue to strengthen as it moves through the Gulf with terrifying speed Wednesday into Thursday afternoon. Helene is moving at 12mph toward the Flordia Big Bend, where it is expected to land as a Cat 4 Hurricane Thursday evening. What this means for Athens is that we will begin to feel impacts around 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening. The outer bands will reach Athens and increase the intensity of severe wind and rain. Gusts can start to reach 65mph+ as night falls and possibly blow even stronger. The rain will continue to pour, with Athens getting several more inches over the next couple of hours.

Stay weather-aware dawgs!

Hanna Medler