Round 2 of severe weather threatens tornadoes, large hail in Myrtle Beach area. Here’s when
.jpg "Waves batter against the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach Tuesday as a severe storm begins lashing the Grand Strand area. Jan. 9, 2024")
Mother Nature is not finished with the Myrtle Beach area when it comes to storms.
Another round of severe weather is expected to hit Horry County Friday afternoon and into the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Grand Strand residents can expect severe storms with damaging winds of more than 60 mph with threats of isolated tornadoes and large hail.
Most of the damaging weather will come later in the day Friday, about 6 p.m., mostly after the commuting time for many people, according to meteorologist Bob Bright with the NWS in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Breezy conditions with wind gusts of around 45 mph are likely Friday afternoon, Bright said.
And although there is the potential for severe storms, Bright said it doesn’t appear it will be as significant as Tuesday’s storm, which pounded Horry County with heavy rain and strong winds. Several areas in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach received tornado warnings, and a waterspout was spotted off the coast of North Myrtle Beach.
“The overall threat is pretty low,” Bright said. “Definitely a lot lower than what we saw the other day.”
Thomas Bell, public information director for Horry County Emergency Management, said the threats of Friday’s storm will be more isolated and not as widespread as Tuesday’s storm. He said it will probably be more inland than in the coastal counties, such as Horry County.
However, he doesn’t want anyone to be caught off guard and urges residents to be prepared.
Since the storm is predicted to come later in the evening, Bell said people could miss weather notifications if they are asleep or off for the long weekend.
“We want people to heed any warning they get and be weather aware,” Bell said.
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
