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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) -
Lowcountry counties under warnings, watches as Ian approaches
The National Weather Service upgraded portions of the Lowcountry from tropical storm watches to tropical storm warnings Tuesday night.
Charleston, Berkeley, Beaufort, Coastal Colleton and Jasper Counties are now under a tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm-force winds are expected within 36 hours. Dorchester and inland Colleton Counties were placed under a tropical storm watch Tuesday night as well.
A storm surge watch is also in effect for Charleston, coastal Colleton and Beaufort Counties.
A tropical storm watch is issued when a tropical cyclone containing winds of 39 to 73 mph or higher poses a possible threat, generally within 48 hours. These winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding, and/or river flooding. The watch does not mean that tropical storm conditions will occur. It only means that these conditions are possible.
The National Hurricane Center says a storm surge watch is defined as the possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the shoreline somewhere within the specified area, generally within 48 hours, in association with a tropical, subtropical, or post-tropical cyclone.
Preliminary forecasts show that two to four feet of peak storm surge is possible Thursday into Friday.
Copyright 2022 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.