When should Georgia residents expect to see effects from Hurricane Milton? Be prepared.

Hurricane Milton has been upgraded to a category 5 storm and some experts are calling it “an extremely dangerous threat to Florida.”

As projections predict the storm to expand, Georgia residents may need to brace themselves for heavy rains and wind, though hurricane weather isn’t expected in the Peach State.

Conditions will be at their worst for Georgia’s affected areas Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening as Milton moves eastward.

The size of the hurricane “will cause impacts to be felt far from the center of the storm, including in South Georgia,” the Georgia Emergency Management Agency said.

Expected impacts for the affected areas

• 2 to 6 inches of rainfall

• Tropical storm force winds of 40-50 mph

• Flash flooding in some counties

• Storm surges of up to 4 feet for coastal areas

• Up to 8 inches of rain and tropical storm watches and warnings for far Southeast counties

Other areas farther inland should receive far less impact with 2 inches of rain and wind gusts below 35 mph.

What counties are expected to see the worst effects?

• Camden

• Glynn

• McIntosh

• Liberty

• Bryan

• Chatham

• Charlton

• Ware

• Echols

• Clinch

• Brantley

• Pierce

• Wayne

• Long

• Appling

• Bacon

• Atkinson

• Lanier

• Lowndes

• Brooks

What should you do if a loved one is in an affected area?

• Text instead of call - they are more likely to connect

• Use social media to check on their status - Facebook has a safety check feature

• Visit the American Red Cross’ Safe and Well website

• Monitor local news for updates

Damage from Hurricane Helene in GA & South is record-setting. Major storms are on the rise