Myrtle Beach under rare high surf advisory. Dangerous waves and rip currents expected

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory predicting large breaking waves of 5 to 8 feet, the water conditions are being caused by Hurricane Lee churning off the South Carolina coast.

The alert is effective from noon on Thursday, Sept. 14 to Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2 a.m.

The alert says that conditions for surfing and swimming along Horry County beaches will be dangerous and warns that “rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.”

Those rip currents contributed to Myrtle Beach being named one of the most dangerous beaches in the U.S. in a recent study.

Check with the nearest lifeguard and heed flag warnings posted above all area lifeguard stands.

However, local surfers may be bummed that the website Swellinfo.com predicts that the biggest waves to occur on Friday morning at 3-4+ feet in the Myrtle Beach area, but expects those shoulder to head-high waves to be choppy and bumpy with North winds of 10 to 15 mph.

Live beach webcams throughout the Myrtle Beach area will allow viewers to check out the wave conditions in real-time.

This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 11:07 AM.