ATLANTA (WTXL) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Sunday that the state’s Operations Center will open Monday.
It is projected that Tropical Storm Ian, which is in the Caribbean Sea Sunday, will enter the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall in Florida next week as a hurricane.
The governor’s office noted in a news release that the opening of the State Operation Center will help prepare the state for any potential impact from Tropical Storm Ian later in the week.
Georgia could experience the residual effects of the storm after landfall.
According to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Storm Ian is expected to begin rapidly strengthening Sunday and will continue to do so through Tuesday, at which point it will become a Category 4 hurricane.
The governor’s office adds Though models suggest the storm will weaken before making landfall possibly Thursday, and its ultimate route is still undetermined, Ian could result in severe weather damage for large parts of Georgia.