NOAA’s National Hurricane Center has just started issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Storm 9, which is expected to become TS Isaias (pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs) in the next couple of days. Currently the Florida Peninsula is in the 5-day cone for the storm, so it could progress into Georgia by early next week. Forecasts of both intensity and timing are very tough when you don’t even have a named storm yet, but parts of Georgia could see some impacts starting on Sunday night through the first part of next week. South Florida could see impacts by Friday night. You will want to watch this one (and all the ones that are likely to come after it this active season) to make sure you are ready to deal with it.
My best guess at this point is that the eastern counties of Georgia along the coast are most likely to be impacted and that it is more likely to bring some gusty winds and welcome rainfall than anything else. There is also a chance it could stay off the coast altogether and the only impact we’ll see is some high waves along the coast and no rain at all. I will post an update on Friday, when we should know a lot more. You can also follow my retweets on Twitter at @SE_AgClimate or on Facebook at SEAgClimate. Your best source of local information is the National Weather Service office for your area.