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FIRST ALERT WEATHER: A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Beaufort, Charleston, Coastal Colleton, Inland Berkeley, and Tidal Berkeley Counties, the National Hurricane Center said.
Elsa heads toward Florida, Tropical Storm Watch issued for parts of Lowcountry
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The National Hurricane Center has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for parts of the Lowcountry as Tropical Storm Elsa gets closer to the Florida coast.
A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Beaufort, Charleston, Coastal Colleton, Inland Berkeley, and Tidal Berkeley Counties, the National Hurricane Center said.
Meteorologists say the effects of remnants from Tropical Storm Elsa are expected to begin affecting the Lowcountry by Wednesday afternoon.
Live 5 Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said the first effects from Elsa, which is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by the time it reaches South Carolina, will be bands of rain that move in Wednesday afternoon.
Walsh said the Lowcountry will see periods of heavy rains and gusty winds. There is also a chance of an isolated tornado late Wednesday into Thursday, depending on where the storm tracks across the Palmetto State.
Forecast tracks seem to agree that the center of the storm will pass through the center of the state, but that would put the strongest energy, which sits to the east of the storm’s center, right over the Lowcountry.
Portions of the Lowcountry could see between one and three inches of rain from the remnants of Elsa, Walsh said.
A chance of tropical storm-force winds could topple some trees, he said.
Some areas could see localized flooding depending on the speed of the storm and the amount of rain it drops.
The chance of an isolated tornado exists, although the current forecast shows that as a low risk.