South Carolina at risk as intensifying Hurricane Dorian heads toward weekend landfall
Hurricane Dorian is now projected to make landfall somewhere along the Georgia-South Carolina state line, putting both Carolinas at risk of hurricane winds and torrential rain, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The slow-moving storm’s tropical force winds are expected to reach the southern half of South Carolina early Tuesday, forecasters say.
Dorian reached Category 4 status late Friday, and currently has sustained winds of 150 mph, forecasters say. It is expected to dump 12 to 18 inches of rain in isolated spots along the southeastern United States, forecasters predict.
“All of the intensity models forecast Dorian to begin strengthening again soon, and rapid intensification could occur,” said a forecast discussion posted Thursday. “Dorian is likely to reach major hurricane strength in the next day or two and is forecast to maintain that status until it reaches land.”
The storm’s high winds and inches of rain could be felt in both Carolinas well into the next week, forecasters say.
The National Hurricane Center has yet to settle on where the storm will make landfall, but experts believe it could veer north after reaching central Florida over the weekend.
However, National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham is warning residents along the entirety of Florida’s east coast to have a hurricane plan in place.
“Things could shift,” Graham said Thursday. “The rain could shift. We’re talking incredible amounts of rain in some areas, especially if we start slowing this system down. We are also talking about storm surge.”
The South Carolina Climate Office says “post landfall” Dorian may impact the state late Wednesday “with heavy rain and 30-45 mph sustained winds along the coast.”
“Amounts of 6-16 inches of rain is a conservative forecast for southern S.C. counties Aiken to Charleston,” the climate office said Thursday. “Throw in some abnormally high tides next week and the easterly winds, flooding will be an issue next Thursday and Friday.”
Parts of North Carolina could see six inches of rain from the storm, the climate office says.
Dorian was about 1,200 miles southeast of Beaufort, S,C., at 5 a.m. Thursday, the climate office reported. The storm is moving northwest at about 13 mph, with winds of about 85 mph. That makes it a Category 1 hurricane (winds of 74 to 95 mph).
Some forecasters predict Dorian’s winds could double to 120 mph by the time it reaches the coast, making it a Category 3 Hurricane.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles,” the National Hurricane Center says.
This story was originally published August 29, 2019 at 7:16 AM with the headline "South Carolina at risk as intensifying Hurricane Dorian heads toward weekend landfall."