Governor declares ‘state of emergency’ ahead of Alabama-Georgia

As the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide prepare to face the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, a major storm is building in the Gulf of Mexico that could impact Saturday’s showdown. As the storm intensifies, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency for 40 different counties in the state.

Isaias Strengthens

Current models indicate that Tropical Storm Isaias, which is strengthening in the Gulf, is expected to develop into a hurricane before making landfall along the Gulf Coast south of Mobile, Alabama, sometime late Friday or Saturday.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding the storm as it continues to develop, but prominent Alabama meteorologist James Spann has warned that the combination of events scheduled for the weekend, including a visit from Trump, could make the situation a “nightmare.”

“We’ve got potential for a hurricane making landfall in Mobile Bay,” Spann told AL.com on Tuesday. “The Alabama-Georgia game, a presidential visit, College GameDay. You got the big (Zach Bryan) concert at Auburn. This is the National Shrimp Festival at Gulf Shores this weekend, which is huge. I mean, you could not … it’s gonna be a nightmare.”

Though the exact strength and track of the storm is still up in the air, Spann has suggested that moving the game could be a real possibility.

“The idea of moving the game, it’s on the table,” Spann said. “I’m saying it’s clearly on the table. It would be a nightmare for everybody involved. But if we do get a Category 1, Category 2 hurricane coming right up Mobile Bay [on] Saturday morning, I don’t know if you wouldn’t be playing that game in Tuscaloosa that you’ve got the chance of winds gusting to 50 miles an hour, torrential rain and the chance of isolated tornadoes on top of everything else.”

As of Wednesday night, however, the game was scheduled to go on as planned with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. local in Tuscaloosa. Trump is also still planning to attend the game, even though he did not learn about the hurricane until Wednesday.

State of Emergency

As the storm intensifies in the Gulf and potentially threatens the high-profile college football game, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency for 40 different counties throughout the state, including Tuscaloosa.

“At this moment, forecasts continue to show the real likelihood that the tropical system brewing in the Gulf could impact Alabama as a hurricane as early as Friday,” Gov. Ivey wrote in a statement. “While we continue to monitor forecasts, we have to prepare now. That is why I have issued a state of emergency for 40 counties. This will allow us to take any needed steps ahead of landfall. As we approach the weekend and any travel plans, make sure you have reliable information as conditions develop. While I hope for minimal impacts, we must take preparations seriously.”

The impacted counties include: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Clarke, Choctaw, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Washington and Wilcox.

The state of emergency will go into effect today at 4:00 p.m. Central and will remain in effect for seven days, expiring Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., unless otherwise noted.

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