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TIFTON — With Hurricane Idalia nearing, Tift County Schools announced it will close Wednesday, Aug. 30. The announcement affects students and employees.

The decision came after meeting with Tift Emergency Management Agency and city and county officials, Tift Schools said in a statement.

“It is unsafe to operate buses when sustained wind speeds are in excess of 35-40 mph,” Tift School said in the statement. “We have been informed that there is a 50% chance of sustained winds of over 40 mph. They anticipate that the storm could move further west which would increase the likelihood of us receiving these winds.”

The system said it would continue to monitor conditions Wednesday, then make a decision about keeping schools closed on Thursday, Aug. 31.

Activities currently scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 29, will go on as planned, Tift County Schools said, but any planned for Wednesday are canceled.