Beaufort County under tropical storm watch as Nicole continues to strengthen in the Atlantic
Beaufort County was placed under tropical storm and storm surge watches Tuesday afternoon as Tropical Storm Nicole continues to track and strengthen as it aims to hit Florida later this week.
About 400 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, Nicole, which has sustained 60 mph winds, was already whipping up marine waters along South Carolina’s coast, according to the National Weather Service.
Nicole is expected to strengthen to hurricane status and, once it crosses the Florida peninsula, whatever is left of the system is expected to take a sharp turn northeast.
According to the National Weather Service, a watch indicates that the event could happen in Beaufort County within the next 48 hours. A tropical storm watch relates to the possibility for storm-force winds, while a storm surge watch means there’s potential for life-threatening inundation from rising water that is moving inward from the coastline.
During a Tuesday afternoon weather briefing, Ron Morales, meteorologist with the Charleston office, said coastal flooding, beach erosion and dangerous surf conditions remain the biggest concerns for the Beaufort County area as Nicole nears.
Morales said the area could see 2 to 4 inches of rain through Saturday, and tides could affect coastal flooding. Locally higher rainfall amounts are possible, he said, adding that the greatest amount of rain will fall Thursday night and into Friday..
“Rainfall is very difficult to figure out far in advance,” the meteorologist said. “If this behaves like a more typical tropical system … a lot of times that tends to put the heaviest rainfall on the eastern semi-circle of the storm, which is largely over our coastal areas.”
Storm surge has the potential to be 1 to 3 feet above ground in areas of the county that are surge prone, with the highest threat beginning Wednesday morning until Thursday evening. Morales said to plan for a possible storm surge amount of 1 foot above ground.
Tropical storm force winds, lashing between 35-45 mph with gusts to 55 mph, are possible early Friday morning and into the afternoon, the Tuesday afternoon NWS alert said. Residents should prepare for limited wind damage. However, there are already gale force marine conditions over Atlantic waters, Morales said and added that high winds could begin Wednesday night.
As of Tuesday, meteorologists said there was a marginal threat for tornadoes in Beaufort County, but that could change depending on the route Tropical Storm Nicole takes.
“When you get these inland tracks ... that leaves us on the east side of circulation, which tends to be the kind of favorite zone for tornadic activity with a tropical system,” Morales said. “The issue here is how much instability will there be? In other words, how much will the air want to go off on its own and create a storm? We don’t need a lot.”
Beaufort County is also under a high surf advisory until 6 a.m. Saturday, meaning large breaking waves of 4 to 6 feet are expected in the surf zone. Inexperienced swimmers should stay out of the water, the NWS advised.
“When looking at the wind, the surge, the tornado, the flooding rainfall, these are what you should prepare for,” Morales said. “It’s what you should consider a reasonable worst case scenario.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 4:46 PM.
