Hurricane Helene Could Impact College Football Games This Weekend
A brewing storm in the Caribbean is expected to hit the United States' Gulf Coast later this week as a potential hurricane that could smack Florida.
Hurricane Helene could intensify into a Category 3 storm before making landfall in the U.S. on Thursday. Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and parts of the Carolinas all face the potential for flooding along with heavy winds and possible power outages. Alabama remains scheduled to host Georgia in an early college football Game of the Year candidate on Saturday evening. As of Monday, Hurricane Helene won't appear to jeopardize the SEC matchup. However, the pending hurricane could always change its path as it makes landfall in the United States. The hurricane tracker is projecting it to hit the western part of Florida and make its way up the coast and into other states.
James Spann wrote that Alabama could receive two to five inches of rain through Friday, but the meteorologist forecasted "just scattered showers" by Saturday. Spann doesn't anticipate any high winds or heavy rain.
The forecast could change throughout the week, so it's a situation to monitor carefully.
CEDAR KEY, FLORIDA - AUGUST 04: People look out at the gathering storm before the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Debby, which is strengthening as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico on August 04, 2024 in Cedar Key, Florida. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Debby could become a hurricane as soon as Sunday evening, bringing rain storms and high winds along Florida’s west coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
ESPN also unsurprisingly picked Tuscaloosa as the destination for this week's College GameDay. The network and fans must wait and see if the weather affects that plan.
The state of Florida also may have concerns beyond football later this week. Gov. Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency, with several meteorologists warning residents to brace for a potentially significant storm.
Miami is scheduled to host Virginia Tech this Friday night. Florida Atlantic and Florida International are also at home Saturday night.
Much can change over the next few days, but Alabama and Georgia are currently on track to play at Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. ABC would televise the SEC Championship Game rematch.
