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A potential tropical cyclone is spinning off the coast of the Carolinas… but will it spin sufficiently to become a named storm prior to making landfall near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Tuesday?
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, the disturbance – known officially as “potential tropical cyclone eight” – was located at latitude 32.7° N longitude 78.2° W, or approximately 100 miles east of Charleston, S.C. as of 8:00 a.m. EDT. It was moving northwest at three miles per hour.
“A faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is expected today and Tuesday, followed by a gradual turn toward the north by Wednesday,” forecasters noted in their latest advisory. “On the forecast track, the low will reach the coast of South Carolina this afternoon and then move inland across the Carolinas tonight through Wednesday.”
Once inland, the system is expected to “dissipate” over the Carolinas by late Wednesday.
The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour “with higher gusts,” the NHC noted. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward from its center for 175 miles, and tropical storm warnings had been issued from Edisto Beach in South Carolina northward to Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina.
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Wait, though… aren’t systems supposed to be named once their maximum sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour? Yes… but storms with strong winds and heavy rains aren’t always tropical. Nor are they always cyclones.
A cyclone is defined not only by its wind speed, but by its form and motion – specifically the spiral bands of thunderstorms rotating rapidly around a center of low pressure.
Or as intrepid hurricane watcher Mike Boylan says, its “spinnage.”
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Monday AM radar. Heavy rains just offshore heading towards lower NC. Flooding impacts. Some winds/storms in the heaviest bands with lightning showing. https://t.co/Hk3pbO7x8H pic.twitter.com/FPAZZeJ1k8
— Mike's Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) September 16, 2024
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Whether this system becomes the eighth named system of a surprisingly quiet 2024 hurricane season remains to be seen… but its impacts along the coast of the Carolinas will be the same regardless: Rain, potential flooding and the possibility of tornadoes.
“Little change in strength is expected before the system reaches the coast, and the (disturbance) still has a chance of becoming a tropical or subtropical storm,” NHC forecasters noted.
Officials at the S.C. Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) issued a release on Sunday evening indicating they were monitoring the system, which would be christened Helene in the event it develops sufficiently.
“South Carolina could experience three to six inches of rain, with heavier rainfall amounts possible locally, strong winds, storm surge flooding, and flash flooding,” the agency noted. “South Carolina residents and visitors in potentially vulnerable areas should review their plans. Everyone should monitor the storm via local news media and follow updates from the National Hurricane Center, especially people in low-lying areas along the South Carolina coast.”
With the exception of Tropical Storm Debby – which caused extensive flooding in the Palmetto Lowcountry – South Carolina has been spared the ravages of what was projected to be a potentially record-breaking 2024 hurricane season. Keep it tuned to this media outlet as we track this latest system and keep our eye on the tropics for any further developments…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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