Rainfall is expected to start impacting Northwest Georgia – and Polk County – in the coming days as the National Weather Service this afternoon updated the forecast to call for potential for several inches of rain and gusty winds heading into the weekend as Hurricane Ian is set to make landfall in Florida.

The first major hurricane of the season to threaten the United States has already hit Cuba, and it’s eye is already back over the southern Gulf of Mexico and targeting landfall southeast of Tampa Bay.

Where it goes from there is uncertain as the strength of the hurricane increase and forecasters have varying models for where it will end up.

Either way, by the time it gets to Georgia it’ll be a tropical storm. What the forecast throughout the day has shown so far is the center track mainly impacting coastal Georgia and the South Carolina Lowcountry and Upstate into the North Carolina Mountains over the coming days.

That doesn’t mean impacts won’t be felt here in Northwest Georgia.

WATCH: NWS Atlanta’s Special Weather Briefing

Rainfall from the outer bands and some gusty winds are expected per the NWS Peachtree City, with very light probability of tropical force winds here in Polk County specifically.

The earliest the predictions have NWGA getting some winds and rain would be by Friday, if the track moves westward.

Hurricane Irma in 2017 evolved and moved in a similar way to the present day Hurricane Ian. Similar high pressure ridges over the Appalachian region could cause some higher wind speeds to occur away from the storm in the coming days.

Northwest Georgia might see gusts of 20-30 mph from Friday through the weekend, the meteorologists in Peachtree City predicted.

The rainfall around much of the state is expected to reach at least three inches, though much of the western state line could get more around two inches.

Flood risk is low at the moment because of the dry weather Polk County has experienced over the past several days, it should be able to handle the needed rainfall so long as the area doesn’t get all of that rainfall at once.

Check back for any additional updates on severe weather as they become available.