The Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency hosted county departments, the Bibb County School District, and other partner agencies for a National Weather Service weather briefing for the line of storms expected for Wednesday, April 5.
 
This system has the potential to be stronger than Monday's storms. The NWS has upgraded portions of Georgia to a Moderate Risk (see graphic). This is a very complex system with both a warm and cold front back to back and makes forecasting the timing, location, and impacts more difficult. Once the system starts impacting us each round will adversely affect the next round. There is a 45% chance of severe weather with 70-90% chance of tornadoes.
 
“Though the National Weather Service is putting timeframes on when the worst of the weather could impact us, we want people to expect severe weather from as early as 7:00 a.m. until after midnight,” says Spencer Hawkins, EMA Director. “The setup of the two fronts means it is very difficult to predict the timing and severity of specific waves of this storm throughout the day.”
 
The potential impact to Macon-Bibb County, throughout the day, includes strong, long-lived tornadoes; destructive thunderstorm winds; and golf ball-sized hail. Round one of this system will move through between 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., bringing rain and high winds. Round 2 will move through sometime between 2:00 – 7:00 p.m., and this round will be the most destructive. Then around 7:00 p.m. a cold front will move in until 11:00 p.m., bringing more severe weather.
 
Shelter in Place Safety Information

Should there be a Tornado Warning, EMA will sound the tornado sirens and send notification via MBCAlert, and you should immediately take shelter in a per-determined Shelter in Place location. Attached are a graphic about how to shelter in place and one to show people where a safe place to shelter is located.
 
The best room in a home is one with as few windows and doors as possible and in the central portion of your house. A room, preferably with a water supply, is desirable—something like a master bathroom or large closet works well.
 
For an office or other workplace, select interior room(s) above the ground floor, with the fewest windows or vents. The room(s) should have adequate space for everyone to be able to sit. Avoid overcrowding by selecting several rooms if necessary. Large storage closets, utility rooms, pantries, copy and conference rooms without exterior windows will work well. Provide for client, customer, and visitor safety by asking them to stay – not leave.
 
When authorities provide directions to shelter-in-place, they want everyone to take those steps immediately. Do not drive or walk outdoors.
 
Stay Informed

EMA has new emergency notification system called MBCAlert. It can notify people of warnings and other information via phone call, text, and email, but they need to sign up for the service. Registration takes fewer than five minutes and can be started by clicking here.