What officials expect for Georgia this hurricane season, plus how to prepare now
Federal forecasters are predicting a lighter hurricane season this year, with fewer storms than usual in the Atlantic, but Georgia emergency management officials have a message for residents tempted to breathe easy: don’t.
Forecasters are predicting eight to 14 named storms, with three to six becoming hurricanes and one to three reaching major hurricane status, which is a Category 3 or higher. When Hurricane Helene hit Florida it was a Category 4, and weakened as it moved into Georgia.
The Atlantic typically sees 14 named storms and seven hurricanes in an average year. El Niño’s suppressing effect on Atlantic storms becomes most pronounced later in the season from September through November, so the early months carry more uncertainty, according to the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outlook for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season gives a 55% chance of a below-normal season. This is driven in part by the expected development of El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon characterized by above-average sea surface temperatures and weakened trade winds over the tropical Pacific Ocean. It generally lessens hurricane activity in the Atlantic via increased vertical wind shear, which when strong enough can tear a developing hurricane apart.
But those involved in preparedness caution that the picture isn’t simple.
“While the National Weather Service predicts a below-normal hurricane season due to a strengthening El Niño driving more unfavorable conditions for hurricane formation in the Atlantic basin, warmer than average ocean temperatures in the waters near the U.S. will support intensification of any hurricanes that do form,” Georgia Power said in a news release.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency isn’t adjusting its playbook based on NOAA’s outlook, either.
“Although there is a chance of below average tropical activity in 2026, all it takes is one storm for Georgians to be negatively impacted,” GEMA’s external affairs team said in an email to The Telegraph, “so we have to be ready.”
What residents should do now
State emergency officials stress that preparation before a storm is far more effective than scrambling once one is in the forecast.
GEMA recommends building a ready kit stocked with enough supplies to last your household at least three days — water, non-perishable food, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight, a first aid kit, personal hygiene items and important family documents.
Beyond the kit, families should make a plan: how to reach each other if separated, where to go if an evacuation is ordered, and how to meet the needs of any household members who require extra assistance.
Staying informed matters just as much as having supplies. GEMA recommends monitoring your local National Weather Service office, your county emergency management agency and trusted local news outlets throughout the season.
During a storm, Georgia Power advises taking shelter inside a sturdy building away from windows and doors, and avoiding contact with conductors of electricity, like appliances, metal objects and water.
After a storm, never touch any downed or low-hanging wire, including telephone or TV wires that touch a power line, and never pull tree limbs off power lines yourself or enter flooded areas where downed lines may be buried in wreckage or hidden in standing water.
Helene changed how Georgia thinks about hurricanes
For many Georgians, September 2024 was a reckoning. Hurricane Helene tracked inland from the Gulf Coast and dealt a blow that reached well beyond the coast.
Georgia emergency managers said Helene wasn’t an anomaly. Hurricanes Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018, Idalia in 2023 and Debby in 2024 all pushed north through the state and caused significant damage far from the shoreline, GEMA said. The agency prepares for hurricane impacts in all 159 Georgia counties.
The scale of the Helene response was staggering. GEMA received nearly 2,500 resource requests during the storm — more than double any previous record — and the storm generated over 40 million cubic yards of debris across the state, costing more than a billion dollars to clear.
One of the biggest operational challenges wasn’t wind or water. It was communication. Cell towers went down across wide areas, cutting off coordination between responders.
For Georgia Power, Helene was the most damaging storm in the company’s history. Nearly 12,000 power poles were broken, more than 5,800 transformers were damaged, 1,500 miles of power lines came down, and more than 345 transmission structures had to be rebuilt or repaired, according to the company.
GEMA also used findings from a 2024 review to update its hurricane response plans, including revisions to how state agencies and local governments coordinate during a disaster, according to the agency.
Georgia’s readiness posture
GEMA said it prepares year-round regardless of seasonal forecasts, hosting quarterly coordination meetings with response agencies to train, share information and refine plans. Ahead of this season, the agency restocked and repositioned supplies across its statewide warehouse network, so equipment can move quickly to affected areas.
Meanwhile Georgia Power has invested $1.3 billion in system upgrades over the past three years as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen grid reliability — work the company said is aimed at reducing outages and speeding restoration during major storms.
As for communities still recovering from Helene, GEMA said the state is fully prepared to respond to another major disaster if one occurs this season.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. NOAA plans to update its seasonal outlook in early August, ahead of what is historically the most active stretch of the season, which typically peaks from mid-September through October.
