Downgraded Hurricane Sally To Cross Georgia With Soaking Rains, Stiff Winds

From the Georgia Recorder:

By Stanley Dunlap

September 16, 2020

Georgians are urged to stay alert late Wednesday as the remnants of Hurricane Sally are forecast to slide westward across the state with heavy rain and strong winds that could cause flooding, knock down trees and spur isolated tornadoes.

The storm that smashed ashore as a Category 2 hurricane along the Gulf Coast flooded streets and toppled trees from Pensacola, Fla. to Gulf Shores, Ala. But before it reached the Georgia line near Columbus Wednesday afternoon it was degraded to a tropical storm and is expected to become a tropical depression later in the day.

Weather forecasters expect the diminished storm to still soak parts of Georgia with as much as eight inches of rain by early Thursday. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning until Friday morning for most of Georgia.

The storm’s arrival in Georgia comes during a busy Atlantic hurricane season that forecasters predict might be particularly punishing.

Most of the state – with the exception of the far southeast and far northwest corner – should see a significant amount of rain, and at least enough wind that residents will want keep an eye on things, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Sena said Wednesday.

The area of heaviest predicted rainfall of more than eight inches stretches from Columbus up to Griffin and just south of Athens. As much as six inches of rain could fall around the Atlanta and Macon areas while Americus could get four inches of rain.

Some parts of Georgia’s will likely have sustained winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour with wind gusts up to 40 into Thursday. There’s also a small threat of tornadoes in south Georgia where they occur more frequently, Sena said.

“With the rain and the wind combined, there is a threat out there for a few trees to fall, and that provides another potential danger for motorists,” he said. “If at all possible, it’s probably best to put off some of the travel until this passes late (Wednesday) and tomorrow.”

Columbus’ WRBL reported this afternoon that the residents should monitor the storm as it passes through for potential weak spin-up tornadoes, in addition to sustained winds of 25-35 mph.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is monitoring the storm and preparing to assist local agencies if problems arise. The agency urged people to avoid driving through standing water and to follow other safety precautions.

The storm is unlikely to cause as much crop damage as 2018’s devastating Hurricane Michael since it hasn’t rained much in the days leading up to Wednesday, Sena said. However, anytime there’s the potential for several inches of rain within a 24-hour period, there’s a chance for flash flooding or worse, he said.

“Depending on the state that the crops are in and if they’re near harvest, a heavy rain or wind event could cause some problems if it leaves the soil saturated for an extended period of time,” Sena said.

This story was originally published by the Georgia Recorder. For more stories from the Georgia Recorder, visit GeorgiaRecorder.com.