Hurricane watches that were put in place for Tropical Storm Karen, which is inching its way closer to the Gulf Coast, have been cancelled as of Friday, but tropical storm watches still remain in place.
The storm that formed of the Yucatan Channel and in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday morning is projected to hit the Pensacola area of Florida Saturday afternoon but as for Bainbridge, National Weather Service meteorologists believe the area will not see wind speeds and rain levels that match that of a tropical storm.
“Unless the track that is moving right now is modified, the storm is expected to arrive in Pensacola by the predawn hours of Sunday,” Tallahassee meteorologist Ron Block said, who works with the National Weather Service. “As for Bainbridge it is just outside that area of concern for severe weather, but I want to stress that that track could always change, and change quickly.”
Block said Bainbridge has a 20 percent chance of rain Saturday and that percentage will grow to 40 percent on Sunday and Monday.
“We cant discount, though, some of the outer feeder bands of storms that could go over that area,” Block said. “The storm could impact as far as Bainbridge and you could have anything from light rain to brief stormy weather, it is just all based on the current track of the storm.”
Though Bainbridge could escape some of the severity of the storm, flash flood watches are still in place for the area during the weekend and early part of next week.
Georgia’s Red Cross issued a statement regarding the storm for those living in the southern part of the state.
“The Red Cross encourages families and communities to heed local warning and take preparedness now,” a statement said. “Weather experts suggest that parts of Georgia could experience isolated flash flooding and minor river flooding along with gusty winds and isolated tornadoes.”
Emergency Service Providers also said they were issuing concerns locally and getting ready for the storm as it nears.
“We are going through our usual preparation checklists when a storm threatens, readying our equipment and supplies, checking on the availability of volunteers, monitoring the situation closely and coordinating with EMAs and other local officials,” said Jack Looney, Emergency Services Program Manager, of the South Georgia Chapter. “We encourage everyone to create a disaster plan if they haven’t done so already.”
For information on how to create personal and family disaster preparedness plans, visit www.redcross.org/Southgeorgia