MACON, Ga. — As Central Georgia prepares for the impact of Hurricane Ian starting later this week, local schools have started to make plans on whether to close or go virtual.
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Ian is picking up speed once again with winds back to 70 mph. Hurricane Warnings have now been issued up and down the South Carolina coastline, including Hilton Head Island, Edisto Beach, Charleston, James Island, Isle of Palms, and Myrtle Beach.
Ian is predicted to ride the Atlantic coast for more than a day before it tracks close to Charleston Friday evening.
With this cone, this would keep Central Georgia on the better side of the storm, with breezy conditions and rain possible, mainly in our eastern counties.
Wind ahead of the storm will begin as early as mid-morning Thursday with gusts up to 30-35 mph possible through the day on Thursday. Then on Friday, gusts could go a bit higher, potentially up to 40-45 mph, with locally higher gusts.
Here is the latest updates for Central Georgia Schools:
Treutlen County: Closed for Friday, Sept. 30.
Telfair County: Closed for Friday, Sept. 30.
Johnson County: Virtual learning for Friday, Sept. 30.
Washington County: Virtual learning for Friday, Sept. 30.
Wilkinson County: Virtual learning for Friday, Sept. 30.
Dooly County: Asynchronous learning day for Friday, Sept. 30.
Bibb County: Bibb County schools posted on Facebook that they will continue normal operations throughout the week. They will make changes as needed based on the trajectory and updates of Hurricane Ian. Their full statement is included here:
"The Bibb County School District continues to monitor the potential for inclement weather alongside the Macon-Bibb Emergency Management Agency and the US National Weather Service Peachtree City Georgia. Based on the current projected path for Ian, forecasters are expecting impact to Macon+Bibb County to be minimal. Bibb County School District will continue normal operations throughout the week. We will continue to monitor the forecast for any changes to the current models and make changes as needed that align with ensuring the safety of our students and staff. Please follow Macon-Bibb EMA on social media for continued forecast updates. Follow Bibb County Athletics for game updates."
13WMAZ will continue to update as additional changes are announced.
There have also been a number of high school football games moved to Wednesday and Thursday.
HURRICANE COVERAGE:
