The Chattanooga area should prepare for high winds, heavy rain, flooding and felled trees starting early Friday morning, as Hurricane Helene moves north from Florida.
Forecasts Thursday evening showed the storm is expected to hit much of Georgia and parts of Tennessee, bringing wind and flash flood warnings to Chattanooga.
(READ MORE: Helene makes landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane)
Winds in the area are expected to peak early Friday and reach 45 to 55 mph, Doug Schneider, with the National Weather Service office in Morristown, Tennessee, said by phone.
Chattanooga could see between 3 to 5 inches of rain through Friday morning and another half inch to inch by the end of Friday, Schneider said. Showers should be more scattered over the weekend, he said.