Hurricane Milton’s path. How will the storm affect northern South Carolina & Myrtle Beach?
Hurricane Milton is now classified as a Category 4 storm, as of Tuesday afternoon, according to reports from meteorologists all over the southeast.
But how exactly will that affect the Myrtle Beach region? Will the storm have any impacts on northeast South Carolina?
According to the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center based in Miami, the storm is expected to cut through Florida from the west and end up in the eastern Atlantic by the weekend, not making it far enough north to come close to Myrtle Beach.
For Myrtle Beach, National Weather Service forecaster Reid Hawkimf said the worst effects will be on the beach, with strong rip currents and slight coastal flooding during high tide expected on Thursday. Toward the west of the beach and into inland Horry County, Hawkimf said there is no rain forecast through the weekend when Milton is supposed to work its way through Florida.
“Right now, we’re only thinking maybe the winds, maybe 15 to 20 (mph), no rain,” he said by phone Tuesday morning. “It’s just some pretty rough surf, and maybe some minor coastal flooding the times of high tide, that would be the only impact.”
By Friday, he said the temperatures may drop into the low 70s before bouncing back into the 80s by the weekend.
According to Hawkimf, no parts of the Myrtle Beach area will be placed on tropical storm warning or watch because of Hurricane Milton.
The “dirty” side of the hurricane will also not have any impacts on Myrtle Beach later this week, according to Hawkimf.
The dirty side is defined as the right side of whatever direction the storm is moving, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Hurricane winds rotate counterclockwise, so the strength of the storm on the dirty side equals hurricane’s wind speed plus its forward velocity, reporting in The Miami Herald said.
The most dangerous part of Milton is expected to be on the south side of the storm, he said.
“A cold front will slide through late today and tonight with isolated showers possible. Cooler and drier air will filter in behind the front with high pressure dominating our weather through most of the week,” a Monday night forecast from the National Weather Service station in Wilmington, NC said. “Fringe impacts from Hurricane Milton passing offshore will include high surf and dangerous rip currents, along with gusty winds and potentially some light rain between late Wednesday and Friday.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated as of 2:15 p.m. to reflect the latest categorization of the storm by the National Weather Service.
This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 10:36 AM.
