Will Hurricane Isaias impact Atlanta? Flooding rain, isolated tornadoes possible for metro Atlanta
North Georgia and metro Atlanta could see tropical storm-force wind gusts, flooding rain and even an isolated tornado threat this weekend as Hurricane Isaias moves toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Although Georgia is no longer in the storm's forecast cone, Isaias is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 40 mph across the region Saturday morning and early afternoon, along with up to 3 inches or more of rain.
The CBS News Atlanta NEXT Weather Team has issued NEXT Weather Alerts for Saturday and Sunday because of the potential impacts.
As of 2 p.m., the National Weather Service reports that Isaias has recorded maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph and was centered about 355 miles south of the Mouth of the Mississippi River.
As Isaias moves east north east at 10 mph, it is expected to become a category two hurricane and eventually make landfall between Panama City Beach, Florida and Mobile, Alabama late Friday into early Saturday.
The latest track has shifted a little bit farther to the west. Although Georgia is no longer in the cone, there will still be impacts across metro Atlanta and North Georgia.
On the current track, North Georgia and metro Atlanta can expect tropical storm-force wind gusts up to 40 mph throughout the morning and early afternoon on Saturday.
A tropical storm watch is currently in effect for most of southeast Georgia, up to Troup, Heard, Meriwether, and Pike Counties.
There is even an isolated risk of a couple of tornadoes during that time period. As is typical in a landfalling tropical system, isolated tornadoes are possible on the eastern side of the storm, especially in the banding moving onshore. With a track over Alabama, our area will be on that part of Isaias' system.
There will be some lingering rain on Sunday as the system moves away.
Other threats include flooding rain adding up to three inches or more. A flood watch will be in effect from late Friday night through Sunday morning for most of Georgia.
