Kemp issues State of Emergency for all Georgia counties, brunt of storm expected to pass to the east of Cobb County

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map showing weather impact of Hurricane Ian on Georgia and Florida by the end of the week, with Georgia covered in redNOAA map of the expected impact area for Hurricane Ian in days 4 to 5

Posted By: Larry Felton Johnson September 28, 2022

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency for all Georgia counties due to the possibility of heavy rain and damaging winds as the Hurricane Ian‘s impact reaches the state.

The press release announcing the declaration described the currently forecast path of the storm as follows:

Ian is now a Category 3 hurricane moving north at roughly 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. Further strengthening is expected, with Ian forecast to reach Category 4 status before slowly weakening tonight and during its expected landfall tomorrow and Thursday over west-central Florida. Starting Friday, Ian will likely impact Southeastern Georgia as a tropical storm or tropical depression with heavy rainfall. Though there is still uncertainty about its ultimate path on Friday and into the weekend, tropical storm force sustained winds of over 40 mph will be possible across all of Georgia on Friday and Saturday. Damaging winds will be possible statewide, even well away from the center of the storm, and downed trees and powerlines are possible statewide on Friday and Saturday. Widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is also possible statewide, with 4 to 6 inches or more forecast in Southeast Georgia. Flash flooding, power outages, and other dangerous situations are possible, especially in Southeast Georgia.

Impact of the storm likely to hit Georgia far east of Cobb County

While heavy rains and damaging winds are possible across the entire state, the storm is expected to diminish into tropical storm status, and have the heaviest impact in the coastal areas.

Nevertheless, the Cobb Emergency Management Agency and the Cobb DOT are making preparations for hazardous weather.

The Georgia Department of Transportation, which issued a news release describing its preparation for the possible incoming storm, is preparing for impact as early as Thursday, and is halting all projects along interstates 16, 75 and 95 south of Atlanta that require lane closures.

The GDOT also expects the impacts to potentially last through Saturday, October 1.

>> To read the National Weather Service web page about Hurricane Ian, follow this link

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