Hurricane Isaias made landfall last night along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida, and while the cyclone has been on a direct path through Alabama, the storm has been big enough to impact many Georgians as well with thousands losing their electricity.
Power outage map
Below is a live USA Today Co. map of electricity outages in Georgia. Unsurprisingly, the biggest area of concern was in the southwest where cities like Columbus were under a tropical storm warning.
Most-affected counties include:
- Quitman County with 94.5% of accounts losing power
- Clay County with 46.2%
- Early County with 31.5%
Georgia Power also has its own outage map, available at outagemap.georgiapower.com. It also shows particularly high outage numbers in the southwest with 90 outages around Columbus affecting 3,338 residents. But the Atlanta area is reportedly even worse with 292 outages affecting 19,583
residents (not including outer areas like Marietta and Duluth). Customers can report or check an outage's status by calling 1-888-891-0938.
Safety tips
Here are some tips from Georgia Power for what to do before, during, and after a hurricane regarding your electricity:
- During and after the storm, keep doors and windows closed. While it's only supposed to get up to 85 degrees, if that's still too warm for you, boost your air conditioning to ensure your house is cooled down in case the power goes out.
- Ensure all of your devices (cell phones, computers, etc.) are fully charged.
- Disconnect or turn off any appliances that will start automatically when power is restored to avoid overloading circuits.
- Leave a porch or front light on. This helps Georgia Power crews know when repair work is successful.
- Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Frozen food will keep two or three days in a well-filled freezer.
What category is Hurricane Isaias?
According to the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. update, Isaias has very rapidly weakened over Alabama to the point where it's not even a hurricane. It's now called a "post-tropical cyclone," which describes a cyclone that no longer possesses sufficient tropical characteristics but continues to carry heavy rains and high winds. It will continue to gradually weaken as it moves across the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys.
According to this morning's public advisory, the center of Isaias is about 25 miles southwest of Montgomery and 105 miles south of Birmingham with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It's expected to produce 4-8 inches of rainfall across Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Localized totals up to 15 inches and flooding are possible. There continues to be a risk of tornadoes.
Georgia weather alerts and warnings
Difference between watch and warning
- Tropical Storm Watch is issued when a tropical cyclone containing winds of 39 to 73 mph or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours. These winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding, and/or river flooding. The watch does not mean that tropical storm conditions will occur. It only means that these conditions are possible.
- Tropical Storm Warning is issued when sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in 36 hours or less. These winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding, and/or river flooding.
- Hurricane Watch is issued when a tropical cyclone containing winds of 74 mph or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours. These winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding, and/or river flooding. The watch does not mean that hurricane conditions will occur. It only means that these conditions are possible.
- Hurricane Warning is issued when sustained winds of 74 mph or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in 36 hours or less. These winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding, and/or river flooding. A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force.
Georgia weather radar
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Where is power out? Georgia power outage map during Isaias
