Southeast Georgia Braces For Hurricane Elsa's Approach

Caption

Satellite image taken Tuesday, July 6, 2021, at 5:50 p.m. EDT, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Elsa in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. / AP

Credit: NOAA via AP

The portion of the Georgia coast south of Brunswick is under a tropical storm warning, with forecasters expecting Hurricane Elsa to bring tropical storm conditions with sustained winds of 40 mph to 50 mph in parts of southeast Georgia.

Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency Tuesday affecting 92 counties in the middle, south and southeast part of the state in preparation for the storm.

Tropical storm winds will likely occur as far north as Savannah, arriving sometime during the day Wednesday according to the National Hurricane Center.  A tropical storm watch is posted for the northern portion of the Georgia coast and most of the South Carolina coast, with storm conditions a possibility in those areas through early Thursday. No storm surge is predicted in Georgia, although high waves, heavy surf and beach erosion are possible. 

Elsa's heaviest rains could come in Georgia and South Carolina, with forecasters predicting 3 to 6 inches of rainfall with isolated areas up to 8 inches.