Update: Weakening Tropical Depression Erika has Horry, Georgetown officials decreasing alert status

Officials said the Grand Strand may just see some rain late next week, if anything at all, from ever-weakening Tropical Depression Erika, and emergency preparedness officials began winding down alert levels Saturday morning as the storm continued to wane.

The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression from a tropical storm mid-day Saturday.

The official track has the storm passing across Cuba and into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, causing heavy rainfall for the Florida area, but weather authorities said the storm could weaken into a tropical depression or all together on Saturday.

“Erika is extremely disorganized and may not survive the hostile environment it will be in today,” Steve Pfaff, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C., said in a briefing released 7 a.m. Saturday.

Lisa Bourcier, Horry County’s spokeswoman, said that the county has moved back to Operating Condition Level 5 as the area is out of the 5-day error cone in the storm’s path, meaning Horry County is back to normal operating status after switching to level 4 on Friday.

“Everyone is still encouraged to monitor the storm through local media and updates from the National Hurricane Center,” Bourcier said in an email Saturday morning.

“OPCON 4” indicates an “alert” status in preparation for a possible threat,” said Jackie Broach, Georgetown County spokeswoman, on Friday when emergency levels were elevated.

Sam Hodge, Georgetown County’s Emergency Manager, also said Saturday Georgetown County is shifting its operation condition level from a 4 down to a level 5.

Hodge confirmed Georgetown County is winding down, but also urged residents to remain watchful and check emergency preparedness kits.

Pfaff said there is a possibility the storm could regain some strength in the Gulf of Mexico, shift back toward the East Coast, and cause an unknown amount of heavy rainfall for the Grand Strand, most likely on Thursday.

Pfaff also encouraged area officials and residents to keep an eye on the situation, even as the storm continues to weaken.

“There’s a lot at risk, and we can’t afford to let our guard down completely, but we certainly don’t need to be ramping up more at this point,” Pfaff said Saturday morning.

Pfaff also said as residents and forecasters wait to see what the unpredictable storm will bring, the Grand Strand will probably continue to see scattered showers and thunderstorms during the week, which are typical weather for this time of year and unrelated to Erika.

Officials said tropical storm force wind speed probabilities continue to be non-existent for southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina as well.

While the Grand Strand watches and waits with uncertainty, the Sunshine State isn’t taking any chances, even as the storm lets up.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Friday for the whole state, and officials said residents should ready for the storm by filling vehicles’ gas tanks, stockpiling a few days’ of food and water, and determining whether they live in an evacuation zone.

The storm has the potential to hit Florida’s west coast with heavy rains starting late Sunday or early Monday, according to forecasters.

Officials say there’s “a significant chance” that no watches or warnings for Florida will be needed over the weekend, and meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say several factors come into play over the next 24 hours that will determine whether Erika is little more than a rainstorm for the state.

Chris Landsea, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center, also said the storm is extremely disorganized, making it difficult for forecasters to track. A hurricane is stronger, better formed, and has an eyewall. Hurricanes also have a more regular motion pattern, unlike tropical storms, which can be large blobs of weather.

“For track prediction, it’s actually easier to track a strong hurricane than a sloppy tropical storm like Erika,” Landsea said.

This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Update: Weakening Tropical Depression Erika has Horry, Georgetown officials decreasing alert status."