National Hurricane Center graphic

VALDOSTA — The latest forecasts show powerful Hurricane Irma moving closer to Valdosta than originally thought.

The Category 4 storm, now expected to hit South Florida Sunday morning, shifted westward Thursday night, said Jeannie McDermott, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office. Forecasters originally thought the storm would move across Florida, back into the Atlantic and up the coast, but said Friday it is more likely to travel overland up the length of Florida and into South Georgia.

Projections show the center of the storm moving north Monday across Echols County, having weakened to tropical storm force, said Jason Hess, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Jacksonville, Fla., office.

“Winds over Echols should be in the 40- to 60-mile-per-hour range,” he said.

In Echols, “Good Samaritan” shelters not associated with the Red Cross are being prepared just in case they are needed, said Jack Carter with the Echols County Emergency Management Agency.

“There are two or three shelters, including the community center, that can can be opened Sunday if they’re needed,” he said.

The community center is located in Statenville on Church of God Street.

The various shelters can hold from 30-100 people, Carter said.

“We’re just waiting to see if it comes this way,” he said.

The exact path of the storm still has some leeway, said Dave Samuhel, senior meteorologist with the private forecasting firm AccuWeather.

Strong winds should reach Lowndes County by Sunday evening, with the worst of Irma passing by Monday afternoon, he said.

McDermott said Valdosta could see “tropical storm to weak hurricane” conditions; Samuhel said wind gusts could reach 70 mph.

Along with winds, flooding is a concern, Samuhel said. He projected six to eight inches of rain for Lowndes County.

Another concern with Irma is tornadoes, Samuhel said.

“The center of the storm tracking closer to Valdosta raises the area’s tornado chances,” he said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.