Hurricane Humberto & potential Tropical Storm Imelda moving closer to SC. Latest forecast

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) officially upgraded Humberto to a Category 1 hurricane Friday morning and the storm is expected to bring rough currents and surf to the South Carolina coast. However, a currently unnamed disturbance in the Atlantic is poised to bring more severe impacts.

In preparation for potential Tropical Storm Imelda, Myrtle Beach issued a Declaration of Civil Emergency on Friday, allowing the city to activate emergency powers like setting curfews and waiving fees. Other coastal communities, like Charleston and Georgetown, announced they’re closely monitoring the developing system.

“There’s essentially no threat for any wind impacts directly from Humberto, no rain impacts and no storm surge impacts from Humberto, just the higher seas and the stronger currents and rough surf,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Adam Weiner.

Located northeast of Puerto Rico, Hurricane Humberto is projected to travel northwest across the Atlantic before curving northeast around Bermuda. In South Carolina, coastal areas will likely see ocean impacts starting late Sunday or early Monday that last through the week.

But the more serious threat is a tropical wave near Haiti. The system has an 80% of forming a tropical storm by Sunday morning and a 90% chance of forming by next Friday, according to the NHC. If a named storm does develop, it will be called Tropical Storm Imelda.

“Regardless how strong it is, the rainfall is still the biggest hazard to watch out for in the setup here, and people all along the South Carolina coastline, and really even inland, should be keeping a close eye on things and sure that they’re well stocked for potential loss of power or other impacts to infrastructure,” Weiner said.

At this point it’s unclear whether the storm system’s path will make landfall somewhere between Florida and North Carolina or curve away into the Atlantic. According to Weiner, available model guidance suggests it’s slightly more likely that potential Tropical Storm Imelda will approach or make landfall on the Southeast Coast.

If the system makes landfall or gets very near the South Carolina coast, it will bring heavy rainfall, winds and potential flash flooding and storm surge. Even if the potential storm is pulled out to sea, South Carolina could still see some wind, rain and storm surge impacts.

Depending on how quickly the storm develops and the path it takes, Weiner predicts coastal hazards from the system will reach South Carolina between Monday and Wednesday next week.

A slower storm would arrive later, but could also strengthen over the Gulfstream. On the other hand, a faster storm would strike sooner but likely bring less severe impacts. It’s too early to say how powerful the storm system will be, but Weiner predicts with low confidence that it could reach South Carolina’s coast as a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane.

This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 10:20 AM.