Tropical Storm Nate is making its way through the Caribbean and for the second time in recent weeks, Athens and north Georgia could see some impact from the storm. John Knox is a Professor of Geography in the University of Georgia's Atmospheric Sciences Program.
“Here in Athens, I think what we’ll have is a wet and breezy Sunday, especially, from the storm,” Knox said. “We’ll probably get an inch and a half or so of rain and we can have winds that would be gusting to 20-25 miles an hour during Sunday afternoon.”
Knox says Atlanta will likely bear the brunt of the storm in north Georgia.
“Atlanta is supposed to get maybe two and half, depending on where you live, three, maybe even four inches of rain. Late Sunday afternoon the winds for a few hours could be sustained around 30 miles an hour, with gusts to 45 to even 50 miles an hour. That is a little bit more like what we had with Irma.”
He says though Nate may become a hurricane, the good news is the storm is moving a lot faster than Irma. Nate is expected to hit Alabama and move toward Georgia.
“That places Georgia on the north right quadrant of the decaying storm as it moves inland. That’s the area where you get the strongest winds and the most chance for severe weather.”
Knox urges residents to pay attention to forecasts since details could change by Sunday.