Hurricane Helene will make landfall tonight: What to expect in Georgia

Hurricane Helene is set to make landfall as a major storm in Florida on Thursday evening, bringing rain and damaging wind to Georgia.

UPDATE [11:45 a.m.]: Lifeline Animal Project, which operates shelters in Fulton and DeKalb counties, said they have 25 large dogs in the old Fulton County shelter in need of emergency placement.

The old shelter, at 860 Marietta Boulevard, was built in the 1970s and has a history of flooding during large storms, Lifeline officials said in a news release.

“We urgently need to find homes for all dogs who are temporarily living at this shelter,” Lifeline officials said in a statement. “They were moved here due to the severe overcrowding at the new shelter, but they can’t stay here.”

The shelter will be open during special hours Thursday until 2 p.m. for those who can temporarily foster or adopt a dog.

— Staff writer Taylor Croft

UPDATE [11:40 a.m.]: Many restaurants across metro Atlanta announced closures Thursday, but some eateries are still debating what to do.

Avery Cottrell, owner of the recently opened East Lake restaurant Gene’s, was smoking meat Thursday morning.

Cottrell and his family are from New Orleans, so they’ve been “hurricane people for a while,” he said. He’s deliberating whether to stay open or, perhaps, cut the restaurant’s hours. His primary concern is for the safety of his staff, but closing is a hard decision to make, especially since the restaurant is a new business.

He is nervous about losing power for several days, which would put their product at risk if it can’t stay refrigerated.

“This is going to leave us in a weird kind of quagmire with our smoking schedules,” he said. “What are we going to do with all this meat now, and then what if we lose power and then all the stuff we cook is toast?”

As of Thursday morning, Cottrell planned to remain open but will monitor conditions. In New Orleans, he said, they likely wouldn’t close for a tropical storm, but “if your city isn’t set up for this kind of stuff, or if your residents are not used to it, I could see it becoming a bigger issue than just the storm itself.”

In the meantime, he’s smoking meat for a “hurricane barbecue feast” and might even offer some frozen hurricane drink specials to go with it.

— Staff writer Olivia Wakim

UPDATE [11:35 a.m.]: President Joe Biden approved Georgia’s Emergency Declaration on Thursday morning as Hurricane Helene marched toward the state, a White House statement said. The measure adds federal funding and assistance to the state and local hurricane response.

The emergency declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

More than 50 Georgia counties are tabbed to receive direct federal aid, including Cherokee, Forsyth and Hall counties.

The lion’s share of Georgia counties will receive limited federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care, which includes evacuation and shelter support, according to the White House statement. Five metro Atlanta counties were included in that list: Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. Clarke County, where Athens is located, and Glynn County, home to St. Simons and Brunswick, will also receive this level of support.

Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Wednesday.

— Staff writer Henri Hollis

UPDATE [11:25 a.m.]: National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Nadler said on the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast Thursday morning that Helene is unique because of its size and speed.

It will likely hit the Atlanta area late Thursday night into Friday morning after it makes landfall in Florida this evening.

”It’s a very intense, powerful hurricane,” Nadler said. “It is going to weaken as it moves inland, but because it’s moving so quickly, as it gets into Georgia and approaches the Atlanta metro area, the winds are still going to be really intense later tonight into tomorrow morning.”

He encouraged people to stay home and off the roads and to be prepared to lose power. With the storm’s speed, it will likely move through Georgia rapidly and intensely.

”The duration of the real intense threats with the wind and around the center of Helene should be in and out within a couple of hours,” Nadler said. “The magnitude of what we see in that two to three or four-hour window could be really intense.”

UPDATE [11 a.m.]: The number of canceled flights into and out of Florida and Georgia continues to climb as the Southeast braces for Hurricane Helene.

As of 11 a.m., more than 100 flights into or out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have been canceled for Thursday, according to FlightAware. That figure could grow later today and into Friday as the metro Atlanta area feels the full brunt of Helene.

Delta Air Lines expects Helene to impact its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson as the storm moves north, the airline said in a news release. It anticipates possible changes to its scheduled operations at the airport Friday morning, as inclement weather may affect the airport early in the day.

The airline also issued a travel advisory for flights traveling to, from or through several destinations in the forecasted path of the storm between Wednesday and Friday. Affected cities include Valdosta, Key West, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville and Hilton Head Island, among others. Delta is encouraging its customers to monitor its flight status closely on its website or Fly Delta app.

UPDATE [10:45 a.m.]: The storm is expected to be as dangerous as any storm Georgia — and metro Atlanta in particular — has faced in its recorded history. Here’s why.

It’s moving fast: The storm is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane somewhere between Florida’s Panhandle and its Big Bend region Thursday, then move into Georgia. But Helene’s relatively quick forward motion means it’s not likely to weaken as quickly over land as past storms. That means it will still be packing tropical storm-force winds — with even more powerful gusts possible — when it moves past Atlanta.

It’s huge: Hurricanes are the largest storms on the planet, but even among the giants, Helene stands out. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Helene’s wind field is expected to extend 345 miles from its center. That’s farther than the distance from Atlanta to Savannah and means areas far from the eye will still face damaging winds. Helene’s rain bands will stretch even farther from the center.

The ground is already soaked: Soils in North Georgia had been parched by drought for weeks before a cold front on Wednesday brought several inches of rain to the area. Plants needed the moisture badly, but now, the ground could be saturated and unable to absorb much of the additional four to six inches of rain Helene is projected to dump. That could worsen runoff and raise the risk of flooding, especially in places like Atlanta with lots of impermeable roads and buildings.

— Staff writer Drew Kann

UPDATE [10:35 a.m.]: The I-75 express lanes south of Atlanta will remain northbound until Thursday afternoon to accommodate increased traffic related to Helene, the State Road and Tollway Authority announced. Typically, the lanes are closed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

— Staff writer Sara Gregory

UPDATE [10:30 a.m.]: Georgia Power and dozens of electric membership cooperatives across the state are already grappling with thousands of power outages before Helene even makes landfall.

Georgia Power reported more than 5,000 customers without power as of 10:15 a.m. Georgia EMC, which represents the cooperatives across the state, reported crews were contending with more than 2,800 customers without power.

— Staff writer Scott Trubey

UPDATE [10:20 a.m.]: Hurricane Helene has altered two college football games and dozens of Georgia high school football games .

Valdosta State was scheduled to host West Alabama on Saturday, however, the game was canceled Wednesday. Earlier this week, Florida A&M — located in Tallahassee, Florida — postponed its home football game against Alabama A&M. Georgia’s school games are being moved to Saturday and beyond.

Despite movement in the southeast area sports landscape, there is likely to be no Helene-related impact on college football’s highly anticipated Georgia-Alabama football game.

— Staff writer Caitlyn Stroh-Page

UPDATE [10:15 a.m.]: Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retail chain, opened its command center on Wednesday to keep track of the hurricane.

“We are indeed monitoring the storm trajectory very closely,” spokeswoman Sarah McDonald said.

The company has sent more than 100 truckloads of various products to stores that are in Helene’s expected path. That includes materials meant to replenish items likely to be in demand, she said.

As of Thursday morning, no Home Depot stores or distribution centers were closed.

Coca-Cola, another major Atlanta-based company, will close its headquarters for the rest of the week, according to spokesman Scott Leith. Employees have been asked to work from home.

Assurant, a Fortune 500 insurance company headquartered in Atlanta, has closed its office and asked employees who can work from home to do so, the company said in a statement.

Inuit Mailchimp, which has about 800 workers at its new headquarters along the Atlanta Beltline, said the facility is open Thursday, but it will be closed Friday.

In Savannah, the Georgia Ports Authority’s terminals will remain open Thursday and Friday, though crews won’t load or unload vessels between noon Thursday and 1 p.m. Friday due to concerns about high winds.

— Staff writers Michael Kanell, Mirtha Donastorg, Zachary Hansen and Adam Van Brimmer

UPDATE [10 a.m.]: Centennial Yards, the $5 billion redevelopment of downtown Atlanta’s Gulch, is preparing its construction site to withstand Hurricane Helene’s damaging winds.

Three tower cranes are being used for the construction of two high-rises at the site, which is near Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Project lead Brian McGowan said Thursday that the crew is “working to tighten up the construction site and make sure that the two buildings under construction are safe and secure in case of high winds.” That involves laying down some of the cranes for safety, he added.

Centennial Yards’ other operations have pivoted to remote work on Thursday and Friday.

— Staff writer Zachary Hansen

UPDATE [9:30 a.m.]: A steady stream of shoppers headed into the Kroger on Glenwood Avenue on Thursday morning. But as lines grew inside the store, supplies like bottled water and bread were already dwindling.

Kim Shashy, a Grant Park resident, was among those stocking up on essentials. Shashy, who is originally from Florida, has dealt with hurricanes before, but the possibility of tropical storm-force winds blowing through Atlanta with its extensive tree canopy concerns her.

Credit: Drew Kann

“I live in an old house with big trees around it so yeah, it’s always a little scary,” she said.

The gas pumps outside the store, meanwhile, were fairly quiet. A few customers filled their tanks as a light rain fell, but there were no lines.

At the Target along North Druid Hills Road, there was a constant flow of customers.

Storm prep essentials were in high demand, with employees seen restocking both the bread and paper goods aisles.

Tommy Gilfert picked up bread, water, toilet paper and other supplies. The Florida native is no hurricane rookie.

”You always want to think it won’t be bad,” he said. “But you have to be ready in case it’s worse than you hoped.”

— Staff writers Drew Kann and Zachary Hansen

UPDATE [9:15 a.m.]: The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is urging residents to make sure they are prepared for the possibility of major flooding.

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaEMAHS/status/1839283661746696283

Authorities advise that storm preparations should be completed as early as possible.

Find more tips on how to prepare for the hurricane here .

UPDATE [8 a.m.]: Dave Nadler from the National Weather Service will join “ Politically Georgia ” today to talk about Helene’s impacts. The show begins at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1.

UPDATE [7:45 a.m.]: Hurricane Helene has been upgraded to a Category 2 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

That means it has sustained windspeeds of 100 mph. It is situated about 320 miles southwest of Tampa and is moving at 12 mph.

ORIGINAL STORY: Hurricane Helene will make landfall as a major storm along Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday evening, and its impact will be felt throughout Georgia.

As of Thursday morning, the storm is still swirling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico as a strong Category 1 hurricane with sustained windspeeds of 90 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Over the next few hours, it is expected to gain speed and strengthen as it closes in on the coast.

Once it reaches 96 mph winds it will graduate to a Category 2. A Category 3 is declared once wind speeds reach 111 mph. A Category 4 would mean windspeeds have reached 130 mph.

https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1839275875910693239

After landfall, Helene will continue its quick northward march, potentially holding on to Category 1 hurricane-force winds by the time the eye of the storm reaches metro Atlanta.

“This is a big deal,” Channel 2 Action News Chief Meteorologist Brad Nitz said

https://twitter.com/BradNitzWSB/status/1839113236832006408

Widespread damage is expected across the state, according to the National Weather Service. Storm preparations should be completed as early as possible, officials warn.

Tropical storm conditions are expected as far north as the southern Appalachians in Tennessee and North Carolina. Still, gusts up to 80 mph can be expected well into North Georgia.

Already, between 2 and 4 inches of rain have fallen ahead of the storm thanks to what is known as a “predecessor rainstorm,” according to the NWS. Even more rain is expected throughout Thursday before the storm arrives. In all, some areas in Georgia could see up to 8 inches of rainfall, the NHC predicts.

Helene could trigger ‘life-threatening’ floods in Atlanta, North Georgia, forecasters warn

With so much rain, flooding is a major concern. Most of Georgia is under a moderate risk for flooding, with the state’s northeastern corner under a high risk.

The flooding, coupled with hurricane-force winds, will cause trees to fall, taking power lines with them starting Thursday afternoon. The threat will remain mostly to the east of a line that stretches from Helen to Peachtree City to Columbus and will spread northward overnight, the NWS warns.

The good news is that with Helene moving so quickly, the persistent rain should start to taper off by Friday, the NWS predicts. Some lingering flooding conditions will remain for some of the larger rivers, but water levels should recede over the weekend.

Dryer weather will set in for the first half of next week, though some areas could still see a few showers.

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