Gov. Henry McMaster, pictured above on Aug. 6, 2024, declared a state of emergency Friday as a system with the possibility of becoming a tropical storm approached South Carolina. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Air National Guard/Master Sgt. Megan Floyd)
COLUMBIA — The state is under a state of emergency as a so far-unnamed tropical disturbance potentially heads toward the coast, Gov. Henry McMaster declared Friday.
A state of emergency frees up the resources and state employees to prepare for the possibility of landfall, along with allowing state and local authorities to apply for federal emergency reimbursements if needed, according to a news release.
Meteorologists are predicting a 90% chance the disturbance, designated Friday as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, will become a tropical storm over the weekend. If that happens, the disturbance will be named Imelda.
South Carolina residents, especially along the coast, should prepare for high winds, potentially causing power outages, along with heavy rainfall and storm surge early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
“While the storm’s arrival, speed, and intensity remain hard to predict, we do know that it will bring significant wind, heavy rainfall, and flooding across the ENTIRE state of South Carolina,” McMaster said in a news release. “We have seen this before. Now is the time to start paying attention to forecasts, updates, and alerts from official sources and begin making preparations.”
The disturbance’s path remains uncertain, according to a mid-day National Weather Service briefing. The system could strike the Carolinas early next week or linger just over the ocean near South Carolina, dumping rain on coastal cities, meteorologists wrote.
Or, the disturbance could approach the coast before veering back out to sea, like Hurricane Humberto, another approaching storm, is expected to do.
The proximity of the two storms is part of the reason for uncertainty.
Meteorologists are unsure whether the two might collide, forming another system, or send each other spinning off onto different courses, according to the briefing.