Subtropical Storm Alberto brought a torrential downpour to Georgia over Memorial Day weekend, but the fallout from the storm should stop at a mere inconvenience, perhaps spread out over the next week as the rain continues.
For many Georgians though the storm serves as a sobering reminder that hurricane season, which officially begins June 1st, is back – even as they continue to recover from past years’ storms.
In the Fall of 2016 Hurricane Matthew ripped across the Bahamas and into the Southeastern United States, causing billions of dollars worth of damages. Tybee Island near Savannah was evacuated, and 30 counties fell under a state of emergency.
In the fallout of the storm Georgians filed some 30,000 insurance claims for nearly $100 million, and Mother Nature wasn’t done yet.
The following season saw Hurricane Irma hit Georgia as well, albeit as just a tropical storm by the time it made landfall. That storm made its way straight up through the state into Atlanta, but the brunt of the damage was in the southern part of the state, namely Camden, Glynn, and McIntosh counties. Hartsfield-Jackson airport was forced to cancel over 800 flights, MARTA was forced to shut down, and schools remained closed for days. Tens of thousands of Floridians flocked to the Peach State to avoid the storm, which claimed 90 lives in the U.S. in total.
2018 hurricane forecast from the NOAA
Now in 2018 we’re already seeing the effects of storm number one, and coastal Georgians are bracing for more. While hurricanes are notoriously difficult to predict, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a normal to above normal number of storms, with the possibility of more major ones a la Matthew and Irma making landfall.
So hold on to your hats Georgians – if the past two years are any indicator, the 2018 hurricane season may be another bumpy ride.
