3 storm systems are looming in the Atlantic. Will any of them impact Hilton Head Island?

Sarah Haselhorst

September 19, 2024 at 12:01 p.m.·2 min read

For now, Beaufort County is in the clear from tropical weather and, after three consecutive rain-filled weekends, sun and more mild temperatures will settle in.

Neil Dixon, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office, said despite clear skies, going into this weekend there’s a threat for coastal flooding. Spring tide — or King tide — extends through Sept. 23 and the Fall Equinox begins Sunday.

“This is one of the two times of the year where we see some coastal flooding with both the morning and the high and the evening high tides,” Dixon said.

Saturday morning high tide is the greatest concern, Dixon said, because there’s a building area of high pressure and northeast winds could strengthen. The NWS expected moderate coastal flooding Friday and Saturday, with the possibility of approaching major flood.

On Hilton Head Island, Saturday morning’s high tide is 9.5 feet at 11:52 a.m., according to US Harbors’ site. At 10:34, the island’s high tide will reach 9.2 feet.

Storms in the tropics

Three storm systems were looming in the Atlantic on Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center’s seven-day outlook.

Dixon said two of the disturbances, one the remnants of Gordon and the other about 750 miles southeast of Bermuda, are nothing to worry over.

“Looking at the guidance, they look like they’re just going to stay over the Atlantic and not have any impact whatsoever on our area,” Dixon said.

The third system, over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and southeastern Gulf of Mexico, is a broad area of low pressure that could form by early next week over the western and northwestern Caribbean Sea, the center said. Gradual development is possible, strengthening into a tropical depression as the system moves slowly to the north or northwest over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and into the southern Gulf of Mexico through the middle part of next week.

On Thursday morning, the third storm system had a 40% chance of formation within the next seven days.

“(There’s) a lot of uncertainty with the system,” Dixon said. “Nothing that we can plan on at this time, but it is an area of concern that we need to watch going through this weekend and into early next week.”

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Storms in the tropics

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