By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Alberto expected to rain on holiday
Storm could dampen Memorial Day weekend plans in South
Accuweather Alberto

It is expected to stay wet in Southeast Georgia over the Memorial Day holiday after subtropical Storm Alberto formed over the Gulf of Mexico early Friday and headed north toward the United States.

The brunt of the storm should stay west of us, however.

“The track of the storm is not projected to be in Liberty County, but we should expect some rain and winds through the weekend,” an email from Liberty Emergency Management Agency’s Samantha Abbgy said Friday.

The National Weather Service is expecting the storm to make landfall between Louisiana and Florida Monday, early to mid-morning. It should be large enough to bring rain and wind to Coastal Georgia. And rough conditions could arrive earl Sunday in front of the slow moving storm.

An AccuWeather report said, “As environmental conditions become more conducive for intensification, Alberto is expected to become fully tropical and strengthen as it churns northward through the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.”

AccuWeather forecasters wouldn’t even rule out Alberto becoming a hurricane, even though official hurricane season doesn’t start until Friday.

“We cannot rule out the possibility of this system becoming a hurricane before it makes landfall sometime on Monday or Monday evening,” AccuWeather hurricane specialist Dan Kottlowski said.

He said that even if Alberto fails to strengthen into a hurricane, it will still create hazards for residents and vacationers in the southeastern United States this holiday weekend. 

Because of the storm’s counter-clockwise churn it expected to pull lots of moisture into our area. The greatest concern from Alberto will be flooding rain, which will not be limited to the weekend and holiday, but can persist well into next week, even after Alberto makes landfall.

“Latest indications suggest that rainfall totals from Alberto from over the weekend through at least the middle of next week could total 10-20 inches in some places,” Kottlowski said.

The exact track of Alberto will determine which areas are at greatest risk for the flooding. Forecasters urge all in the South to be vigilant where flooding is concerned. 

Sign up for our e-newsletters