Hurricane Dorian could dump a lot of rain on South Carolina. But how much, and when?
As Florida gets ready for a direct hit from what forecasters predict will be a powerful Category 4 hurricane, South Carolina officials are warning residents that Hurricane Dorian will turn north after making landfall.
The storm has slowed, according to Mark Malsick from the South Carolina State Climate Office, but forecaster models predict Dorian will follow generally along Interstate 95 up the east coast after making landfall.
The Friday morning forecast put Dorian turning to the north over Florida Tuesday and making its way to the Georgia-South Carolina border as a tropical storm by Thursday, Malsick said. By Friday night, the storm had already strengthened to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of up to 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The rains will likely start in South Carolina Wednesday. But by Thursday, areas in the southeastern part of the state from Barnwell County to Charleston and the coast could see anywhere from 6 to 18 inches of rain, Malsick said.
“Most of the heaviest southern rain will fall in less than 24 hour period,” he said, with winds on the coast reaching 30 to 50 mph.
Areas to the north will likely see much less rain, with 1 to 3 inches in the forecast, Malsick said.
“If, big IF here, the remnant circulation of Dorian takes a southern jog off the SC coast, rain totals and winds lessen for a messy beach day Thursday,” he added.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for 12 counties in his state ahead of Hurricane Dorian. Those counties include Effingham and Chatham, which border South Carolina.
The Georgia governor’s order also puts the state’s price-gouging laws into effect.
This story was originally published August 30, 2019 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Hurricane Dorian could dump a lot of rain on South Carolina. But how much, and when?."
