Hurricane Florence could be ‘full-state event,’ including York Co., SC officials say
South Carolina officials began preparing Saturday for the possible arrival next week of a powerful Hurricane Florence, with authorities saying the storm could affect a large portion of the state.
“This is expected to be a strong storm, and it’s coming from an unusual angle,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a midday news conference in Columbia. “The (weather) pattern will not allow the hurricane to curve to the north.
“We’ve already begun moving assets into place.”
Impacts from the storm could be felt in the Rock Hill area by early Thursday, forecasters say.
Florence was a tropical storm with top sustained winds of 65 mph Saturday afternoon, centered about 800 miles southeast of Bermuda. But meteorologists expect the storm to undergo explosive growth early next week, as it moves over an area of warm water between Bermuda and the Bahamas.
Tropical weather experts say a hurricane never has struck the U.S. East Coast from Florence’s location. But an unusually strong high pressure system over the North Atlantic is forecast to push the hurricane west or west-northwest. That means Florence could approach the coast from a right angle – rather than the typical glancing blow – and then move inland.
“There’s the potential for this to be a full-state event, not just a coastal event,” S.C. Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson said Saturday. “That should be part of the emergency planning.”
Computer guidance Saturday morning showed the storm making landfall near Myrtle Beach. An update Saturday afternoon pushed landfall north, to near Wilmington. Forecasters said they expect plenty of changes over the next few days.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for his state Friday evening and issued a directive to clear loopholes that might prevent farmers from harvesting their crops before the storm arrives.
Emergency management operations in Horry and Georgetown counties went to “alert” status Saturday – the lowest of the alert levels. That designation allows officials in those counties to prepare resources to deal with the storm.
McMaster said it was “way too early” for any decisions on evacuations but said now is the time for S.C. residents – across all the state – to prepare. He suggested residents check the South Carolina Hurricane Guide and follow preparations outlined there.
“Conditions could be deteriorating by Wednesday night,” said meteorologist John Quagliariello of the National Weather Service office in Columbia. “Now is the time to prepare.”
As is always the case with tropical storms and hurricanes, forecasters are not certain about the system’s eventual track. If the high pressure system weakens a little on its western edge, that could allow Florence to turn north before making landfall.
“The exact path of Florence as it approaches the southeastern U.S. coastline will depend heavily on the position and strength of the blocking high pressure that is expected to develop north of Bermuda and extend westward over the eastern U.S.,” National Hurricane Center meteorologist Robbie Berg said. “So far, there has not been much more clarity on those important details.”
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published September 8, 2018 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Hurricane Florence could be ‘full-state event,’ including York Co., SC officials say."