As Hurricane Idalia strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico and prepares to make landfall in Florida, a local meteorologist says little impact is expected in the Northeast Georgia area.
WDUN Meteorologist John Weatherbee said most of Idalia's impact on Northeast Georgia has already happened.
"The rain we've been experiencing across Northeast Georgia is from the trough that's directing the hurricane across Georgia into South Carolina," Weatherbee said. "Look forward and things will be fine. Any impacts we have will be short-lived. The rest of the week should be find and the holiday weekend looks great."
Weatherbee said parts of Southeast Georgia could see some flooding from Idalia with the Coastal Georgia region possibly seeing some storm surge and tornadoes. He said, however, that impact should be small compared to what will be seen in Northwest Florida.
"They've never ever, in recorded weather history, had a major hurricane hit in Apalachicola Bay," Weatherbee said. "This is going to be incredibly disruptive and destructive in that area, but as the hurricane moves inland and becomes a tropical storm, it will become more of a rain maker and, perhaps, not have the impacts of some tropical systems that we've had across Southeast Georgia."
