Tornado warning for most of the Lowcountry; SC on “OPCON 2”

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Two dozen South Carolina counties, including most of the Lowcountry, are under a tornado warning until 9 p.m. Thursday.

Click here to download the free Live 5 First Alert Weather app.

The tornado warning includes the counties of Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Beaufort, Colleton, Orangeburg, Jasper, Hampton, Bamberg, Barnwell, Aiken, Allendale, Caloun, Clarendon and Edgefield.

The tornado warning means that weather conditions could allow a tornado to form in that area. When radar detects a tornado or rotation, the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning to warn people about the possible impacts of Hurricane Helene, which became a Category 2 storm Thursday morning.

Tropical storm warning for several South Carolina counties

In addition to the tornado warning, a tropical storm warning is in effect for several counties, including Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort, Georgetown, Williamsburg, Orangeburg, Jasper and Hampton.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere in the warning area within the next 36 hours.

A tornado warning was briefly issued for Beaufort County on Tuesday when radar detected a possible rotation. That warning has since been lifted.

SC switches to “OPCON 2” before Helene

The South Carolina Emergency Management Agency increased its preparedness and response to Operational Status Level 2, or OPCON2, on Thursday morning.

The increased level of preparedness will enable authorities to coordinate their resources more efficiently and respond more quickly to requests for assistance from county disaster management authorities.

Governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order Wednesday afternoon declaring a state of emergency in South Carolina.

The SCEMD issued important warnings as the state begins to feel the effects of Helene.

Be aware of possible flash floods:

• If there is a possibility of flash flooding, move to higher ground. Do not wait until instructed to do so.
• Do not walk through running water. Three to six inches of running water can cause you to fall. If you must walk in water, walk where the water is not flowing. Use a stick to test the firmness of the ground in front of you.
• Do not drive into flooded areas. Even 30cm of water is enough to wash away most cars. If the water rises around your car, get out of the car and get to higher ground if possible. You and the vehicle can be washed away quickly.
• Never drive around roads or move road barricades.

Be careful of fallen trees and power lines:

• Never touch fallen or sagging power lines or attempt to remove fallen branches from them.
• Always report downed power lines to your power company. Never call 911 to report downed power lines or power outages.
• Keep children and pets away from fallen power lines.

The Live 5 Weather team has issued the first weather warning days for Thursday and Friday of this week, as this is when the effects of the storm, which will be called Helene, are expected to occur.

Live 5 First Alert meteorologist Joey Sovine said the majority of computer models predict Helene will move through Florida and Georgia, although some models predict it will move through western or central South Carolina.

In any case, the storm is likely to hit the Lowcountry with rain and wind, increasing the risk of coastal flooding. Depending on its intensity and path, it could bring severe weather through Friday, including the potential threat of tornadoes, he said. Parts of the Lowcountry have been placed under a tropical storm warning.

Helene reaches Category 2 status

At 8 a.m. Thursday, the center of Hurricane Helene was located near latitude 24.5 degrees north and longitude 85.9 degrees west, about 320 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida.

Helene is moving north-northeastward at 12 mph. This system is expected to gain speed over the next 36 hours. On the forecast track, Helene will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Thursday, crossing the coast of the Florida Big Bend Thursday evening. After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow over the Tennessee Valley Friday and Saturday.

The National Hurricane Center says the hurricane could become a Category 4 system by the time it makes landfall. After landfall, Helene is expected to turn northwest and slow over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday.

Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft shows maximum sustained winds have increased to 100 mph with stronger gusts. Strengthening is expected, and Helene is forecast to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening. Weakening is expected after landfall, but Helene’s rapid forward speed will allow strong, destructive winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well into the interior of the southeastern United States, including the higher ground of the southern Appalachians.

Hurricane-force winds reach up to 96 kilometers outward from the center, while tropical storm-force winds reach up to 555 kilometers.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 960 mb or 28.35 inches.

A tropical storm warning applies to:

• Florida Keys, including the Dry Tortugas
• From Flamingo to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay
• West of Mexico Beach to the Okaloosa County-Walton County border
• Flamingo north to Little River Inlet
• Lake Okeechobee
• Cuban provinces of Artemisa, Pinar del Rio and the Island of Youth

A hurricane warning applies to:

• From Englewood to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay

A hurricane warning has been issued for:

• Anclote River to Mexico Beach, Florida

A storm surge warning applies to:

• Mexico Beach east and south to Flamingo
• Tampa Bay
• Charlotte Harbor

Tropical Storm Isaac forms in the Central Atlantic

The National Hurricane Center said a new tropical storm formed in the open central subtropical Atlantic on Wednesday.

As of 11 p.m. Wednesday, Tropical Storm Isaac was located near latitude 37.1°N and longitude 54.1°W, approximately 1,470 miles (2,377 kilometers) west of the Azores and 695 miles (1,117 kilometers) east-northeast of Bermuda.

Isaac is moving east at about 12 miles per hour, and a general east-to-east-northeast motion at a slightly higher speed is expected over the next few days.

Current satellite data show maximum sustained winds are around 50 mph, with stronger gusts. Some strengthening is expected over the next few days, and Isaac could reach hurricane strength by the end of the week.

Meteorologists are observing a third low-pressure area in the central Atlantic.

Showers and thunderstorms have become somewhat better organized over the past 24 hours, associated with a broad low pressure system along a tropical wave located several hundred miles west of Cape Verde. Environmental conditions appear favorable for the gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form over the next few days as it moves westward to west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.

As of Wednesday night, the probability of a development in the next seven days is 80%.

All rights reserved.