Hurricane Irma’s effects possible in Rock Hill area early next week

Emergency management officials across the rest of South Carolina have begun preparations for a powerful hurricane that some computer-generated forecasts indicate could affect the Rock Hill area early next week.

The level of uncertainty over Hurricane Irma’s track remains high, many forecasters warned, but authorities have begun preparing.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency across the state, and authorities began releasing water Wednesday from Lake Murray, in case Irma brings heavy rain to inland portions of the state.

Irma, which devastated several Caribbean islands late Tuesday and Wednesday, is forecast to approach south Florida on Friday and then turn northward. The official forecast calls for the hurricane to move up Florida’s east coast.

And after that?

Some forecasts show Irma making landfall near Charleston and hooking inland, crossing South Carolina into western North Carolina. Other computer-generated forecasts show the storm hugging the Carolinas coastline – a scenario which would spare the Rock Hill area of the worst weather.

Lauren Carroll, of the National Weather Service office in Greer, said hurricane forecasts can carry an error of up to 200 miles.

And, Carroll added, “Uncertainty with this storm is actually greater than usual. The track forecast has changed and will continue to change, going forward.”

For now, the Weather Service is leaning toward a forecast that would bring Irma inland across South Carolina. Carroll said it appears as if a low pressure system that will drop from the upper Midwest into the South this weekend will serve to drag the hurricane inland.

“The potential is there for all sorts of tropical threats,” Carroll said, adding that strong winds (though below hurricane force), heavy rain and possibly even tornadoes could result from a hurricane pushing from the Lowcountry into the Upstate.

She said residents across the Carolinas should begin making preparations, but she added that a visit from Irma is far from a sure thing.

The Weather Service’s official forecast for the Rock Hill area is for showers from Hurricane Irma to arrive late Sunday night. Rainfall chances will increase Monday and continue into Tuesday.

Before then, the area is in store for several days of early-October conditions in the first week of September. Sunshine and daily highs in the mid and upper 70s are forecast through Saturday. Low temperatures Friday morning will drop well into the 50s, possibly threatening records for the date.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Hurricane Irma’s effects possible in Rock Hill area early next week."