Beaufort Co. could see tropical winds, flooding from possible Gulf hurricane

Tropical-storm winds and up to 4 inches of rain could hit Beaufort County as early as Wednesday from Tropical Storm Michael currently located over the northwest Caribbean Sea, according to a National Weather Service Charleston news release.

The storm could turn into a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico sometime Monday night or Tuesday before making landfall along northeastern portions of the Gulf Coast — most likely the Florida Panhandle, the release says.

The storm was about 130 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, Sunday evening, the National Hurricane Center showed, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

A weakened storm is predicted to track quickly northeast and likely remain just west of southeast South Carolina and southeast Georgia, the release says. Forecast show it remaining a tropical storm as it tracks across the region.

Minor coastal flooding is likely to start along the South Carolina coast this evening. Moderate flooding could start Monday into Thursday. Major impacts could start midweek — depending on the storms track, the release says.

Rip currents and beach erosion are expected for the region, the release says.

Beaufort County could see tropical-storm winds as early as Wednesday but most likely Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Up to 4 inches of rain could be possible through Thursday night with flash-flooding risks starting Tuesday.

Isolated tornadoes could be possibly Wednesday or Wednesday night, the release says.

It is still too soon to know the exact track of the storm, James Carpenter, National Weather Service meteorologist, said Sunday. He said this means any forecasts could change.

Carpenter said one complication are king tides currently affecting the South Carolina coast. He said the tides bring higher than normal tides. These tides are expected to last through the week for the Beaufort County region.

This story was originally published October 7, 2018 at 2:02 PM.