Horry, Georgetown county schools closed Wednesday as severe weather looms

The threat of severe weather for Wednesday is looming over Horry County and other parts of the Carolinas, and school officials have canceled school.

“We’re going to be dealing with multiple issues from the storm,” Steve Pfaff, meteorologist with the National Weather Service said.

Severe storms are expected to boom into Horry County tomorrow afternoon, bringing with them the possibility of heavy rainfall, large hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds.

Horry and Georgetown county schools officials announced school closures Tuesday afternoon due to a threat of high winds and potentially heavy rainfall. Teal Harding, Horry district spokeswoman, said all after school activities and athletics are also canceled.

“We don’t know when we’re going to make it up yet,” she said.

The closure applies to all students and employees for both districts. Horry County Schools’ facilities staff will be checking buildings after the storm and assessing damage, Harding said.

“But that will be on a case-by-case, moment-by-moment basis because we don’t want to put people in harm’s way,” she said.

A strong cold front will sweep up from the Gulf area, ushering in the possibility of severe weather as it mixes with a warm front. Pfaff said while there could be a few severe storms in the morning, the most severe weather is expected in the afternoon.

Up to an inch of rain could accumulate over Horry County, and could cause some localized flooding in low-lying, prone areas; however, river flooding isn’t likely to worsen from the storm.

“Significant rises on area rivers are not expected at this time, however the anticipated rainfall will prolong the ongoing river flooding,” Pfaff said in a brief issued at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Damaging winds could potentially sweep across areas of northeast South Carolina and southeast North Carolina at forces of 40 to 70 mph, weather authorities said.

Even outside the storms, forecasters are expecting it to be a very windy day and said some vehicles could be affected while driving on bridges and overpasses.

Power outages could occur and trees could topple, and structure damage is also a likelihood with the gusty winds.

Large hail is also a possibility with the storm, and tornadoes could also form Wednesday, forecasters said.

“Maritime conditions will deteriorate by early Wednesday, becoming dangerous during the day, Pfaff said.

A gale warning is in effect for off shore waters along the coast, and forecasters warned inlet entrances will become especially treacherous due to the gale-force winds and steep waves.

“The timing of severe weather will be coincident with school and business hours. Schools as well as other organizations and agencies are encouraged to take time today to review their severe weather safety plans and review their tornado sheltering procedures. Be prepared to act quickly if warnings are issued for your location,” Pfaff said in a weather brief.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Horry, Georgetown county schools closed Wednesday as severe weather looms."