Braves vs. Mets Weather Updates: Latest news on Hurricane Helene’s impact on MLB playoff standings and schedule

As the MLB regular season draws to a close, the wild-card races in the AL and NL are looming as the biggest headlines, both of which could be impacted by Hurricane Helene.

While the Florida Panhandle is expected to take the brunt of Helene, a double surge of independent storms followed by rain from the hurricane could wreak havoc at Atlanta’s Truist Park just as the Braves are trying to push their way into the postseason.

With the Braves facing two other wild-card contenders, including a crucial series against the Mets, their schedule could be in chaos.

Here are the latest weather reports as Hurricane Helene moves toward the southeastern United States.

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Latest news and updates on the impact of Hurricane Helene on MLB playoff standings and schedule

Hurricane Helene is currently a Category 1 storm, but is expected to strengthen to at least Category 3 by the time it makes landfall. It is expected to hit the Atlanta area as a tropical storm on Thursday night into Friday.

This puts Thursday’s game between the Mets and Braves in serious jeopardy. However, MLB could not simply schedule a doubleheader for Wednesday because storms unrelated to Atlanta are expected to move in later that day.

According to The Weather Channel, Atlanta is expected to see about 2 to 3 inches of rain on Wednesday, with a near 100 percent chance of rain after 3 p.m. ET. That could result in Wednesday’s game also being canceled, putting the league in a difficult position.

No games have been postponed yet. The Braves-Mets games for Wednesday and Thursday are still scheduled, but there are legitimate doubts as to whether any of the games will be played on time. Rain from Hurricane Helene is not expected to let up until midday Friday, so the possibility of a Mets-Braves doubleheader on Monday is worth keeping an eye on, even if there is no official announcement from MLB.

Hurricane Helene Tracking

Hurricane Helene is currently a Category 1 storm, but is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) before making landfall on the Florida Panhandle near Tallahassee on Thursday evening. The National Weather Service’s projected path can be found here.

Below you can see the cone static image from the National Weather Service.

This is what the storm looked like on satellite images early Wednesday morning. The map also shows a line of clouds moving toward Atlanta – these are the storms expected to reach the area on Wednesday before Helene arrives around the weekend.

We didn’t want to see that this morning. The storm is getting much stronger. And wider. Current satellite. pic.twitter.com/GI9CSoKc4A

— Mike’s Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) 25 September 2024

Helene is expected to weaken significantly before it reaches Atlanta, but it is the massive rainfall the storm leaves behind that could cause major scheduling problems in the final week of the Braves’ season.

MORE: Updated Mets playoff picture

Playoff picture Braves-Mets

Any hopes that the Braves-Mets series might lose meaning were dashed Tuesday when Atlanta cruised to a 5-1 victory over New York. The win moved the Braves (86-71) to within one game of the Mets (87-70) and a half-game of the Diamondbacks (87-71) in the NL wild-card picture as the three teams battle for two spots.

With two of these three teams still having to play two games against each other, there is probably no way around finishing the series – even if that has to happen after the conclusion of Sunday’s schedule.

Braves Schedule

The Braves finish their season against the Royals, who are also battling for a wild-card spot in the American League. Kansas City has some of a lead at two games, but Atlanta’s final series could be significant for both teams.

Fortunately, the rain is currently expected to be out of the area by noon Friday. Heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday could cause flooding in the area and affect field conditions on Friday, regardless of how well Truist Park prepares for the storm. However, the outlook for the Braves-Royals series is much better than Atlanta’s series against the Mets.

MORE: Updated Braves playoff picture

Mets Schedule

The Mets will head to Milwaukee after their departure from Atlanta and will be happy to see an indoor stadium without the threat of game postponements. The Brewers have already clinched the NL Central and may have no hope of securing a bye until the weekend series, so it could be an easy landing spot for the Mets as Milwaukee prepares for the postseason.

At this point, the burning question is whether the Mets will have to return to Atlanta for any games after the series up north on Monday.