Ian's predicted path shifts east, away from Cobb
Sep. 29—As Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane Wednesday afternoon, Cobb County is forecast to see no more than a few inches of rain and moderate to heavy winds this weekend.
Ian was upgraded to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday morning. It sustained maximum wind gusts around 150 mph and was "causing catastrophic storm surge, winds, and flooding in the Florida Peninsula" as it made landfall around 3 p.m. Wednesday on the southwestern coast of Florida near Cayo Costa, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The path of the storm remains unpredictable, though it is expected to bring rainfall and winds of up to 40 mph to parts of Georgia, the National Hurricane Center said.
The Cobb Emergency Management Agency and Cobb Department of Transportation began preparations Tuesday for potential weekend rains.
"Cobb DOT crews were out all day Tuesday working to clear storm drains and culverts in anticipation of heavy rain," the county announced on its website. The county added that crews are prepared to respond to potential downed trees and flooded roads this weekend.
Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, the county said on Twitter the DOT is still preparing for potential impacts from the storm but that the likelihood of severe storms in the area have decreased.
"Friday and Saturday could be gusty, causing trees to fall," the county said in the post. "But the chance of heavy rains has decreased."
The expected trajectory of Ian has shifted east of Atlanta and Cobb County, and the National Weather Service expects Ian to be a tropical storm by the time it reaches the Georgia coast Friday morning.
The National Weather Service forecasts a 40% chance of rain on Friday for Cobb "with a slight chance of showers in the morning" and a chance for more in the afternoon, with highs in the lower 70s. For Friday night, the forecast has a 50% chance of showers, adding that wind gusts could reach up to 30 mph.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service is forecasting morning showers and a 70% chance of rain for Cobb, with highs in the upper 60s. The chance of rain drops to 50% Saturday night.
Hurricane Ian already led the Cobb County School District to reschedule Friday night high school football games to Thursday night. The storm is also threatening to upend weekend baseball in Cobb.
MLB.com reported Tuesday that because of the storm, it is exploring "contingency plans" for the potentially decisive series between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets at Truist Park this weekend. The first game is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Friday.
"For now, MLB, the Mets and the Braves will continue to monitor the forecast," reported Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "Although the Mets are scheduled to fly to Atlanta late Wednesday night, a final decision on game times may not occur until as late as Friday morning."
In a video posted to Twitter, Cobb County spokesperson Ross Cavitt said that with beautiful weather in Cobb Wednesday, "it's hard to believe that a hurricane is ravaging a state just to our south."
"It's just a good idea in the next few days to keep an eye on the weather, to see how it shakes up here in Cobb County," Cavitt said.
