6 pm Monday update: As Milton intensifies, storm surge is top threat to Hilton Head area
This story has been updated to reflect the 6 p.m. Monday briefing from the National Weather Service’s Charleston office.
Elevated to a Category 5 storm Monday with recorded winds of 180 mph, Hurricane Milton could bring residual effects to Beaufort County later this week, particularly flooding due to storm surge. But as the system marched northeast across the Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists conceded there was “much uncertainty” in the current forecast.
As of 6 p.m. Monday, Beaufort County was under the following weather advisories:
- Storm surge watch until 2 a.m. Tuesday
- Tropical storm watch until 2 a.m. Tuesday
- High risk of rip currents until 8 p.m. Tuesday
Milton’s wind field is expected to “greatly increase” late Wednesday and Thursday, likely covering Beaufort County beginning Wednesday night, according to NWS meteorologist Ron Morales. Tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or more are most likely Thursday morning in southeast South Carolina.
Storm surge inundation “has risen to the top of our biggest concerns” for coastal South Carolina and Georgia, Morales said Monday evening. Storm surge occurs when extreme weather and high winds raise seawater levels to abnormally high levels, causing dangerous flooding.
Beaufort County and surrounding coastal areas are most at risk of storm surge during high tide Thursday afternoon, Morales said. Water levels could also peak late Thursday night into Friday morning.
Rain from Hurricane Milton will likely be “manageable,” Morales said, with between 1.5 and 2 inches forecast between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday night in Beaufort. Sustained winds are expected to peak at 25 mph with 32 mph gusts — “nowhere near as high as we had for Helene,” he added.
Due to the angle of Milton’s approach, tornadoes pose a “negligible impact, if anything at all” to the Hilton Head Island area, Morales said. The rough winds of Helene generated three tornadoes across Beaufort County.
The storm is predicted to make landfall as a major hurricane in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday afternoon, according to the Monday evening briefing. Conditions are likely to worsen in coastal South Carolina beginning Wednesday evening as the storm crosses through Florida and toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Under current forecasts, Hurricane Milton is expected to spare most of the southeast United States, whose communities were still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. The storm’s death toll inched up to 227 over the weekend, including 41 in South Carolina — more than the state’s 35 causalities from Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Milton formed Saturday in the southwest Gulf of Mexico, unlike most hurricanes’ starting points in the Caribbean or Atlantic. A hurricane with Milton’s projected path is incredibly rare — the last time it was recorded happening was in 1867, according to NBC News.
As Hurricane Kirk continues its path toward Europe, the distant storm could generate rip currents on Hilton Head beaches this week, the NWS says. Beaufort and Jasper counties were under a high risk for rip currents Monday until 8 p.m., according to the latest advisories.
Mike Wagner, director of Shore Beach Service, said Hilton Head lifeguards were flying yellow flags Monday.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 12:16 PM.
