Despite the dangers of Hurricane Florence, some on Hilton Head hit the beach Thursday

Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall in North Carolina late Thursday night or Friday morning.

But early Thursday, webcams showed folks out and about on Beaufort County’s beaches even as Florence continued to threaten the mid-Atlantic coast.

That activity may be tied to Gov. McMaster lifting a mandatory evacuation order for Beaufort, Colleton and Jasper counties.

Another reason, according to the National Hurricane Center, is that South Carolina’s current forecast has Florence traveling down the coastline and heading inland near Myrtle Beach about 2 p.m. Saturday.

A high surf advisory was in effect through 2 p.m., as was a high rip-current risk through Thursday evening. 

“Everyone should remain out of the water,” said an advisory from the National Weather Service. “Keep a clear distance away from the ocean. Structures such as piers and jetties will be particularly treacherous.”

Hilton Head’s waves are rolling in fast and hard, which doesn’t seem to bother some surfers.

High tide is expected today at 11:33 a.m.

This story will be updated as beach conditions change.

This story was originally published September 13, 2018 at 9:18 AM.