Imelda has four sides with different risks. What side is Myrtle Beach facing?
Tropical Storm Imelda is steering clear of the Myrtle Beach area, meaning the Grand Strand has dodged risks of any major flooding, strong winds and even tornadoes.
When storms like Imelda form off the coast, forecasters look at them in quadrants. Each quadrant brings different levels of risk when it passes over land, determined by a combination of the storm’s forward and circular movements. Luckily for Myrtle Beach, the most dangerous quadrant is staying far out of reach.
Tornadoes associated with tropical systems typically occur in the front right quadrant of the storm, according to the National Weather Service. This is because this area of the storm usually has the highest wind shear and instability, lending it to more tornadoes.
This front right quadrant is sometimes called the “dirty side” of a tropical system, due to its high winds and storm surge, according to The Weather Channel.
Meanwhile, the right rear quadrant still brings some heightened tornado, wind, and storm surge risks — but much less than the front right side. The two left quadrants typically bring lower risks, but the front right quadrant is the most distinctly different of the four.
Central South Carolina often sees tornadoes from tropical systems that make landfall near the Gulf Coast and continue on a northeastern path, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes created by tropical cyclones are usually weak and short-lived, but can still threaten communities.
In 2019, Hurricane Dorian brought tornado warnings to South Carolina because of the the movement of its northeastern quadrant, explained NWS meteorologist Jordan Baker. However, he continued, wherever a tropical system makes landfall, there is some risk of tornadoes.
But Imelda is staying so far offshore from the Myrtle Beach area, Baker said that the rain the area will experience through Monday and Tuesday likely isn’t associated with the storm at all. Rather, the weather seen in the area this week is the result of a “tropical plume of moisture,” which are typically seen blowing up from near the Bahamas during the fall, bringing heavier rain.
