CONWAY -- People caught in the frog-choker thunderstorm that hit North Myrtle Beach on Thursday afternoon may wonder why the heavy rain didn't douse a stubborn peat fire burning near Conway, but that's because little or no rain fell in western Horry County, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.
The Conway fire actually flared up in some areas in Thursday's heat, said Doug Mills, duty officer with the S.C. Forestry Commission.
"Some areas are popping up that they didn't see previously," Mills said.
The thunderstorm that hit North Myrtle Beach late in the afternoon was the kind that is seen once or twice a season, said Ron Steve, Weather Service meteorologist. It dropped 2.66 inches of rain in about 90 minutes and set a new rainfall record for the date.
During the storm, the rain was falling so hard that it slowed those vehicles still moving along S.C. 31 to 40 mph or less. Many cars pulled to the shoulder to wait out the downpour.
Steve said that 2.5 inches of rain were recorded in Myrtle Beach on Thursday, but it fell over a longer period of time than what hit North Myrtle Beach.
Steve said Weather Service spotters in Conway and Loris reported no rain Thursday.
Mills said flare-ups at the fire site earlier in the week prompted Forestry Commission firefighters to widen the parts of the perimeter around the fire to 50 feet to 60 feet.
The fire is fully contained within the perimeter, he said, and the wider perimeter "will make it nearly impossible for embers to fly out."
Mills said the fire site has seen seven inches of rain since the fire was first reported on June 14. He said it will take a tropical storm system with prolonged heavy rain to put it out.
That won't be this weekend, Steve said.
The forecast is for slightly cooler temperatures and drier skies.
Today is forecast to be dry with highs in the lower 90s. On Sunday, clouds will lower the high temperature to the 80s, Steve said.
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