Storm aims heavy rain at coast

A tropical depression formed off the South Carolina coast Friday night, but officials don’t think it’s going to have enough wind to pack the punch of a hurricane.

Sustained winds topped 30 mph at 11 p.m.

“It’s just something to keep an eye on right now,” said forecaster John Quagliariello of the National Weather Service’s Charleston office. “At this point, it’s still trying to get itself organized.”

The storm system is moving slowly up the Atlantic off the Carolina coast and poses the greatest threat to South Carolina today, Quagliariello said. Current models show some movement off the coast after today, but Quagliariello said that the storm’s early development can rapidly change its predicted track.

Today’s forecast calls for heavy rain and gusty winds as the storm moves northeast near the coast.

“It’s just going to be a rain event, from what I feel like,” said Randy Webster, emergency management director for Horry County. “We’re always watching. You just never know.”

Georgetown County might partially staff its emergency operations center today. Emergency manager Sam Hodge said his biggest concern is flooding in low-lying areas along the coast.

Because the storm is still in its early stages, it’s hard to forecast where it would go — although the storm might have a silver lining.

“The only good thing with this system is it will probably provide some good, nourishing rain for the Southeast,” said Doug Hoehler of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

“We still are in different forms of drought across this area. It’s not going to be a windmaker, but it’ll definitely be a rainmaker.”

— Myrtle Beach Sun News