Tracking PTC Nine: Local impacts possible late-week

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The National Hurricane Center (NHC) continues to monitor a developing system in the in the western Caribbean Sea, Potential Tropical Cyclone (PTC) Nine.

It is expected to become a tropical depression or tropical storm by Tuesday morning or early Tuesday afternoon.

This system is forecast to significantly strengthen and to become a hurricane once in the Gulf of Mexico late into Tuesday or early Wednesday. The NHC forecast indicates that this could become a Category 2 at landfall north of Tampa Bay along Florida’s Big bend, though it is possible for this to become an even stronger major hurricane at landfall early Thursday.

Rapid intensification is possible because water temperatures are in the upper 80s to lower 90s in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Georgia & South Carolina Impacts

What will likely become Helene is expected to bring impacts to the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry Thursday and into Friday. The magnitude of what we experience will be depended on how large the system becomes over the Gulf, how strong it becomes, and the path it takes.

The main impacts we may experience locally will be damaging wind, heavy rain, localized inland flooding, coastal storm surge/tidal flooding and isolated tornadoes. Storm Team 3 will have a better idea on the magnitude of local impacts within the couple of days, once this system is in the Gulf of Mexico.

This system is expected to be a greater wind event than what we had with Debby as it moved though the region. What will be Helene is forecast to be a fast-moving system, so there will be less time the main core of wind to weaken before it moves in late Thursday.

Power outages are likely for many locations.

Now is the time to begin to prepare for the possibility of tropical storm conditions in Georgia and South Carolina. For a comprehensive check list, download the WSAV Storm Team 3 Hurricane Ready Guide.

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Stay with WSAV Storm Team 3 for the latest updates all week as this system gets closer to the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry.