The Savannah area and South Carolina Lowcountry are under tropical storm and storm surge watches as powerful Hurricane Milton barrels across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida’s west coast with sustained winds of 155 mph.
The storm is expected to make landfall late Wednesday, move across Florida then continue moving northeast into the Atlantic.
For the Georgia and southeastern South Carolina coasts, wind gusts as high as high as 45 mph could arrive as early as Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service said Tuesday morning.
Maximum sustained winds are expected to be in the 20-30 mph range.
For comparison, the strongest wind gust in the Savannah area from the remnants of Hurricane Helene was measured at 76 mph.
Battening down: In Savannah, Helene debris could be ‘problematic’ if caught in high winds from Milton
“High surf and significant beach erosion are likely,” along with a “high risk for deadly rip currents” Wednesday evening through Friday morning, NWS warned.
Breaking waves as high as 8 feet are possible. Offshore waves of 12 to 18 feet are expected Thursday and Thursday night.
Storm surge as high as 4 feet is expected with “moderate to high impacts from inundation (are) possible,” NWS said. “Flooding of some coastal roads and structures is possible.”
Rainfall of an inch or less is expected in Savannah and the Lowcountry.
John Deem covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at 912-652-0213 or jdeem@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Hurricane Milton to impact Savannah, South Carolina coast Wednesday
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