Forecasters: S. Ga. may see hail, tornadoes Sunday

Published 7:37 am Saturday, April 18, 2020

VALDOSTA — Weather forecasters are warning of a round of severe weather heading toward South Georgia this weekend, with possible hail and tornadoes late Sunday.

Some showers may be possible Saturday as a cold front moves through the region Saturday, said Frank Strait, senior meteorologist for the private forecasting firm AccuWeather.

However, the big show is reserved for Sunday. A large storm system that was over California Friday evening is expected to charge across the nation, reaching the Valdosta area Sunday afternoon, he said.

The region can expect rain, damaging straight line winds, possible hail and isolated tornadoes, said Wright Dobbs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office.

Dobbs said while most of South Georgia and Florida’s Big Bend can expect one to two inches of rain, Valdosta may lie in a heavier zone with as much as three inches of rain. Strait was expecting rain of one to two inches at most.

Strait said the worst of the severe weather is likely to take place overnight while people are sleeping. He said people need to make plans to get some type of weather warning system in place as a result.