Beaufort County under tropical storm warning Wednesday as Helene intensifies into hurricane

Following Helene intensifying into a Category 1 hurricane mid-morning Wednesday, Beaufort County was upgraded to a tropical storm warning, according to the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office.

The warning was triggered at 11 a.m. and indicates that tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere in the area — Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island — within the next 36 hours.

The tropical storm warning was set to expire at 1:15 a.m. Thursday. On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Henry McMaster issued a State of Emergency to ensure the “Team South Carolina has the necessary resources in place to respond to these potential impacts.”

“Although South Carolina will likely avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene’s impacts, the storm is still expected to bring dangerous flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes to many parts of the state,” McMaster said in a statement.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Hurricane Helene was 460 miles south-southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving north at 12 mph and packing 85 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The center of Helene would pass near the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday morning, churn across the eastern Gulf of Mexico on later Wednesday and Thursday, and reach the Big Bend coast of Florida late Thursday, according to NHC computer models. Hurricane Helene will “rapidly strengthen” over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and become a “major hurricane” Thursday.

The NWS said Hurricane Helene was likely to bring strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas to the Lowcountry. During an NWS briefing Wednesday, Meteorologist Ron Morales said there were no significant changes in Helene’s track, which meant the forecasters’ confidence of expected impacts to the area had increased.

Wind

Winds driven by Hurricane Helene could reach between 39 and 57 mph beginning Thursday afternoon in the Lowcountry, leading to downed and/or uprooted trees, isolated-to-scattered power outages and debris-filled roads, according to the NWS.

Morales said Wednesday evening that Beaufort County would get up to 55 mph wind gusts, starting Thursday and lasting through Friday morning.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are a concern for Thursday night, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said. And the twisters are the greatest impact Beaufort County could get from Helene, Morales said during a Wednesday evening briefing.

The Storm Prediction Center has identified a slight risk of severe weather for areas south and east of Interstate 20, and an enhanced risk — level 3 of 5 — for the far southern part of the state.

Morales said the service was becoming more concerned about tornadoes, because the current environment is a “very good setup” for tornadoes to form. The highest threat for tornadoes is within stronger rain bands.

“We expect the radar to get a lot busier a lot busier later tonight and certainly tomorrow, as we start getting into the actual rain bands of circulation,” Morales said.

Frank Strait, the state’s severe weather liaison, said a tornado outbreak at night is “never a good thing,” as people are usually sleeping and miss warnings.

“It’s important to have tornado preparations in place ahead of Helene,” Strait said. “Decide on your best shelter area in advance, as you might not get much lead time. Tropical tornadoes often hit fast without much lead time on warnings.”

Beaufort County does not have tornado sirens, so ensure you have a way to get alerts for tornado watches and warnings.

• CodeRED: Download the free CodeRED Mobile Alert app from the Google Play or iTunes store.
• Everbridge: Download the free Everbridge app from the Google Play or iTunes store.

• Other options: NOAA weather radio, news media coverage, Emergency Alert System on radio and TV broadcasts.

Storm surge

Storm surge between 1 and 3 feet above ground was possible starting Wednesday, with the greatest impacts Thursday. The surge could cause localized flooding in low-lying areas, washing of streets and roads near the coast and minor-to-moderate beach erosion.

On Thursday and into Friday morning, there will be a threat of high surf and deadly rip currents, the NWS said. Seas could build 6 to 15 feet, with 9 to 17 feet as the highest. Winds and wind gusts of up to 55 knots are possible.

Rainfall

Beginning 8 p.m. Wednesday and lasting through 8 p.m. Friday, up to 2 inches of rain could fall in Beaufort County.

This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 11:30 AM.

Sarah Haselhorst

The Island Packet

-843-593-7313

Sarah Haselhorst, a St. Louis native, writes about climate issues along South Carolina’s coast. Her work is produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. Previously, Sarah spent time reporting in Jackson, Mississippi; Cincinnati, Ohio; and mid-Missouri.