Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 79F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 57F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
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While Tropical Storm Ian is forecast to become a hurricane by the time it reaches the U.S., the Golden Isles will likely see only tropical storm force winds and rain as soon as Wednesday night.
“It's still coming our way,” said Glynn County Emergency Management Agency Director Andrew Leanza. “If it tracks west, we're still going to see heavy rainfall.”
Currently, the National Weather Service predicts Glynn County residents could begin experiencing the effects of the storm late Wednesday or early Thursday morning, but the storm could slow as it passes over Cuba, Leanza said, in which case the heavy winds and rain may not arrive until early Friday morning.
Residents are encouraged to prepare for flooding and tropical storm-force winds.
A tropical storm can pack winds between 39 and 73 mph.
Visit ready.gov/kit for resources for creating a disaster supplies kit and glynncounty.org/ema to sign up for the Code Red emergency alert system and to find preparedness information and updates on the storm specific to the Golden Isles.
Per the Federal Emergency Management Agency, an evacuation kit should, at minimum, include one gallon of water a day for each person for several days, several days of nonperishable food, a battery-powered or hand crank radio, a flashlight, extra batteries, first aid kit, whistle, dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape to secure shelters, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties, a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, a manual can opener and local maps.
All items should be stored in airtight plastic containers.
“Ian is expected to be a (Category 3 or 4) hurricane as it heads to the U.S.,” Leanza said. “It can’t be said enough that the track is subject to change from update to update, so please monitor NWS JAX, the National Hurricane Center, and our EMA Facebook page for updates.”
The NWS will hold a larger strategy session on Monday with select leadership personnel from Glynn County, Brunswick and Jekyll Island, he said.
The EMA's Facebook page is facebook.com/GlynnCountyEMA.
The state is taking no chances.
Gov. Brian Kemp ordered the State Operations Center in Atlanta to be activated today in preparation for any potential impact from Ian.
The State Operations Center is a multi-agency coordination center used by state, federal, local, and volunteer agencies, as well as private sector organizations, to respond to disasters or emergencies that require a coordinated state response. It also includes the state's 24-hour warning system.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Hurricane Ian trudged beyond Glynn County late Thursday night in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving scarcely a trace of its passing in the Golden Isles, but it easily could have been a lot worse.
For five weeks, preschool students at HeadStart in Brunswick arrived to school every Monday highly anticipating the gift that awaited them.
St. Marys was among three cities in the nation to participate in a sea rise study several years ago that led to recommendations to control flooding in the downtown district.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter at 2900 Albany St. in Brunswick on Wednesday for residents seeking a safe place to stay as Hurricane Ian passed the coast.
Wind-whipped swells crashed into the seawall at the Pier Village during Thursday’s midmorning high tide, sending up plumes of saltwater mists that rained down on the curious and concerned.
After cutting across the middle of Florida on Thursday and returning to the Atlantic Ocean just north of Cape Canaveral, Tropical Storm Ian could strengthen once again into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall again in South Carolina.
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