Hilton Head: Storms, strong winds possible starting Sunday afternoon
As the Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade prepares to step off Sunday, forecasters say a warm front moving through the region could bring scattered thunderstorms later in the day.
A warm front is expected to move north across southeast Georgia and South Carolina on Sunday, according to a Saturday morning briefing from the National Weather Service’s Charleston office. The exact timing of the front is still being refined, but the agency reported that it should enter southeast Georgia by late morning and push off the coast by mid-afternoon Sunday.
As of Saturday morning, the island’s parade was still scheduled for Sunday starting at 2 p.m. There are currently no severe weather warnings or watches in place.
Carol Kavanaugh-Arrington, media chairman for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, told a reporter from The Island Packet Friday that the parade will happen “rain or shine” unless conditions are unsafe.
The conditions Sunday on Hilton Head are partly sunny, with a high near 76 degrees with a 60% chance of precipitation. Scattered thunderstorms could develop Sunday afternoon, including the possibility of an isolated severe storm.
By Sunday evening, there is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, and wind gusts up to 20 mph are possible.
The greater weather threat is expected Monday, when a strong cold front is forecast to move across the region beginning in the morning.
A strong line of thunderstorms with periods of moderate to heavy rainfall is expected after the front passes, the agency reported.
Damaging wind gusts and a few isolated tornadoes are the primary severe weather risks. A small possibility of hail is a distant third risk, the agency reported. A fairly widespread frost or freeze is possible on Monday night in areas closer to the coast, where temperatures could drop into the upper 20s or low-to-mid 30s.
