VALDOSTA — What a difference a couple of days makes with the weather.

On Monday, forecasters were predicting possible hurricane conditions in Lowndes County late in the week because of the monstrous Hurricane Ian churning its way up from the Caribbean, with a storm track possibly taking Ian’s center close to Valdosta.

By Wednesday, the storm’s shifting track had moved so far east even tropical storm conditions were ruled out for Lowndes and surrounding counties.

Hurricane Ian was just a couple of miles per hour shy of the top Category Five ranking as it neared the Florida coast early Wednesday afternoon and was expected to brush the Valdosta area with nothing more than rain and a stiff breeze Thursday through Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

The storm was expected to strike Florida at or near Tampa Bay Wednesday afternoon, moving northeast across central Florida Wednesday night, reaching the Atlantic coast Thursday and heading toward Georgia’s coastal regions as a tropical storm Friday.

Wednesday, a tropical storm warning hung over Georgia’s Atlantic coastal regions, with a tropical storm watch extending inland as far as Charlton County.

The official weather service forecast for Valdosta calls for rain and a breeze through Friday night, with rain chances rising from 30% Thursday to 60% Friday night.

Wind speeds in Lowndes County were expected to run from 20-30 miles per hour, with possible gusts up to 35 and even, less frequently, 45 mph, said Kristian Oliver, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Tallahassee, Fla.

The chance of tornadoes in South Central Georgia was low, he said.

Widespread flooding is not expected in Lowndes County, but a slight risk for local flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas exists, according to a statement from Lowndes County Emergency Management.

Oliver said the county can expect 2-2.5 inches of rain through Saturday, with more in isolated pockets.

One impact Ian was having on the Valdosta area Wednesday was in traffic. Northbound traffic out of Florida on Interstate 75 was unusually heavy, while parking lots at hotels in Lake Park — the first town on Interstate 75 heading north from Florida’s border — were packed, with many Sunshine State license plates showing.

Meghan Barwick, public information officer for Lowndes County, said no shelters had been opened.

Valdosta and Lowndes County both declared local states of emergency, while school systems in Lowndes, Brooks and Echols counties and Valdosta decided to close Thursday and Friday.