Hurricane Ian: Georgia On Alert For Impact As Storm Reaches Florida

ATLANTA, GA — The track for Hurricane Ian has shifted slightly but the now Category 4 storm is still forecast to enter coastal Georgia overnight Friday.

The National Hurricane Center's map has Ian coming into southeast Georgia sometime after 2 a.m. as a tropical storm. Expected winds are between 39 and 73 mph.

Gov. Brian Kemp and officials with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency shared an update Wednesday morning from the State Operations Center.

Kemp said state and federal officials are "ready to go" in response to Ian.

The State Operations Center was activated Monday and was set to reach a Level 3 activation at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

"I would just remind Georgians to stay weather alert, especially if you're in the southern half of the state," Kemp said. "We think there's going to be certainly a lot of rain, and not sustaining high winds, but certainly gusts in the 40 to 50 miles per hour."

>>>See full coverage of Hurricane Ian.

The governor said high wind gusts could cause downed trees and falling power lines.

James C. Stallings, the emergency management and homeland security director, said the shift in Ian minimizes the possibility for tornadoes in Georgia but storm surges are still possible.

Will Lanxton, GEMA state meteorologist, said an anticipated storm surge of 3 to 5-feet could begin as soon as Thursday and last through Saturday morning for the entire Georgia coast.

The predicted storm surge is similar to what happened with Hurricane Irma in 2017, he said.

"We're not out of the woods, yet," Lanxton said, agreeing Ian has been a tricky storm to follow.

With Ian nearing a Cat 5 as it approaches Florida, Lanxton said this was rare for the United States.

A tropical storm warning has been in place for Camden and Glynn counties since Tuesday. Camden and Glynn were also placed under a hurricane watch and a storm surge warning Wednesday.

The Savannah Airport, Hunter Army Airfield and Bloomingdale are under a hurricane watch.

Savannah, Tybee Island and Ossabaw Island are all under a storm surge warning, hurricane watch and tropical storm warning.

Kemp said Wednesday that his office has been in contact with officials in Camden and Glynn counties.

He also noted the National Guard is on standby.

Kemp issued a state of emergency Tuesday for all of Georgia in preparation for Ian, allowing state resources to benefit local areas.

He said Georgia is ready to receive an influx of evacuees from coastal Georgia and Florida, though officials said they do not currently foresee any mandatory evacuations for coastal residents.

"I think we're in great shape where we are, right now," Kemp said.

Express lanes on Interstate 75 northbound have been turned on and will be kept open for any evacuees coming into the state.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Georgia Express Lanes system accepts the Florida SunPass and the North Carolina Quick Pass.

Projects requiring lane closures along interstates 16, 75 and 95 south of Atlanta are paused, starting Wednesday, transportation officials said. All maintenance and utility projects are also paused.

Starting Wednesday, welcome centers and rest areas in the south, central and coastal parts of the state will begin operating 24 hours a day, according to department.

Kemp said there were no major traffic issues in Georgia as of Wednesday morning.

Officials noted multiple school districts are closed this week for fall break.