Milton Not to Impact Cobb, Cooler Temperatures This Week

Hurricane Milton is not expected to impact Cobb County when it makes landfall on the west coast of Florida this week, meteorologists report.

According to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, most of Georgia is in the clear from Milton, a much-needed sigh of relief in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, which has killed over 200 people and left thousands without power.

Due to Milton's predicted pathway, Cobb residents could see slightly cloudier conditions Wednesday, but no other symptoms outside of that.

"The way that the storm is forecast to move ... across the western Florida panhandle, really all the major impacts are going to be pretty much relegated to Florida as a whole and then potentially down in southeast coastal Georgia," meteorologist Lindsay Marlow said. "But, we're really not expecting anything really at all that far north."

Cobb will likely see ideal fall conditions for the rest of the week, Marlow reported. Temperatures will continue to trend downward this week, with highs in the low to mid-70s from now until Friday.

Rain chances for the next seven days will be slim to none, according to Marlow.

"(The weather) is really going to make things feel like fall after a couple of really hot days with temperatures in the 80s," Marlow said.

Mornings in the Cobb area will be especially crisp, with temperatures reaching lows between the upper 40s to the mid-50s.

While the weather might not directly impact Georgians, residents may feel its effects in other ways.

Due to mandatory evacuation orders from Florida state officials, many of Georgia’s interstates are seeing significant upticks in traffic, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

"As of 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, volumes on I-75 northbound were 280 percent higher than normal between the Georgia-Florida state line and Macon," the department reported. "And on I-95 northbound between the Georgia-Florida state line and I-16, volumes were 89 percent higher than normal."

Meteorologists expect the storm to hit the Tampa Bay area and continue directly east sometime after midnight Thursday morning. According to Marlow, while Milton is currently listed as a Category 4, recent updates from the National Weather Service predict the storm to make landfall as a major Category 3 hurricane.

"Even though its a Category 4 right now ... it'll remain a major hurricane, but it will decrease in windspeed as its making its final approach on the Florida peninsula."