Tropical Storm Elsa to reach Myrtle Beach early Thursday morning
7:45 a.m.
A tornado warning was issued for Horry and Georgetown counties until 8:15 a.m. The National Weather service has encouraged people to take shelter safely.
The NWS expects most areas to see wind gusts of 20-30 mph in most areas, with isolated gusts of up to 40 mph. There are also chances of isolated tornadoes as the storm passes through.
11:30 p.m.
Tropical storm Elsa will reach the Grand Strand shortly after 1 a.m.
The NWS expects about 1-3 inches of rain across the Grand Strand through Thursday evening, with some areas possibly getting more. Should this rain fall quickly, it could present a significant flooding danger. Do not walk or drive through areas with moving flood waters.
Rain is expected to start at 1 a.m. and grow stronger from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. The greatest rain chances will be between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., according to the NWS.
An RV park in Jacksonville, Florida, near the border with Georgia, saw several RVs overturned by wind from Tropical Storm Elsa, and some were even tossed into a nearby lake.
While the storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by the time it reaches the Grand Strand, keep in mind that the storm’s “status” only says so much about the dangers it can present. Some of the storms with the most deaths and damage to property happen because people failed to prepare for what they expected to be more minor weather, the NWS says.
The NWS does not believe the area will see significant impacts of damage related to wind but does recommend tying down or bringing inside loose outdoor furniture or other items that could be knocked over or fly away by strong wind gusts.
The NWS expects most areas to see wind gusts of 20-30 mph in most areas, with isolated gusts of up to 40 mph. There are also chances of isolated tornadoes as the storm passes through. The main region under tornado threat is Georgetown County and the areas south of it.
At 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Tropical Storm Elsa was battering Georgia with 45 mph winds.
In the Grand Strand, there is little to no risk for storm surges. Any coastal flooding we do see will likely be between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. However, there are strong chances for rip currents right now and Myrtle Beach is under a “single red flag” warning, meaning there are strong waves and currents expected along the coast.
During the storm, be sure to have multiple ways to get weather alerts, such as radio, TV and your cell phone, just in case one or two of them fail — power outage, loss of a cell tower, etc.
The storm will finish passing through Friday. This weekend, we will see light rain chances that will dissipate by Tuesday of next week, which is expected to be sunny.
This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 11:28 PM.
