Tropical Storm Ian is crawling across the Florida peninsula this morning. Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center say that the storm could strengthen back into a hurricane as it moves into the Atlantic and then back towards Savannah and Charleston. By tomorrow, Athens could be seeing gusty winds and heavy rain.
"Travel on Friday and Saturday is going to be very yucky," said John Knox, a professor of Geography at the University of Georgia and a fellow in the American Meteorological Society. "It's probably better, if the winds do increase, to stay inside."
Knox said that winds from the storm could cause minor damage in Athens and Northeast Georgia, but nothing like the damage seen overnight in Florida.
"Damage to people and to property from things blowing over and falling down could be up," Knox said. "But not like buildings falling down or anything like that - more like tree branches."
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the Athens area beginning at 8:00 AM today, running through 8:00 PM this evening.
