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Elevated to a Category 5 storm Monday, Hurricane Milton could bring residual effects to Beaufort County later this week, including rough surf and damaging winds. But as the storm marched northeast across the Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists conceded there was “much uncertainty” in the current forecast, according to the National Weather Service office in Charleston.

The hurricane is expected to graze Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Monday afternoon and make landfall in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday afternoon, according to a Monday morning NWS briefing. Conditions are likely to worsen in coastal South Carolina beginning Wednesday evening as the storm crosses through Florida and toward the Atlantic Ocean.

In the Hilton Head Island area, preliminary forecast models list a 10% chance for tropical-storm force winds beginning around 8 p.m. Wednesday. Those conditions are defined as one-minute wind speed averages reaching 39 mph or more.

The storm could also bring “significant coastal flooding” during high tide early Thursday afternoon in areas including Beaufort County, according to the Monday briefing. NWS meteorologists said it was “too far out” Monday morning to predict the storm’s total flood risk in coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

Under current forecasts, Hurricane Milton is expected to spare most of the southeast United States, whose communities were still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. The storm’s death toll inched up to 227 over the weekend, including 41 in South Carolina — more than the state’s 35 causalities from Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Milton formed Saturday in the southwest Gulf of Mexico, unlike most hurricanes’ starting points in the Caribbean or Atlantic. A hurricane with Milton’s projected path is incredibly rare — the last time it was recorded happening was in 1867, according to NBC News.

As Hurricane Kirk continues its path toward Europe, the distant storm could generate rip currents on Hilton Head beaches this week, the NWS says. Beaufort and Jasper counties were under a high risk for rip currents Monday until 8 p.m., according to the latest advisories.

Mike Wagner, director of Shore Beach Service, said Hilton Head lifeguards were flying yellow flags Monday.

This story was originally published October 7, 2024, 12:16 PM.

As Milton quickly strengthened into a major hurricane, the possible impacts on South Carolina began coming into focus.

While Florida's West Coast is expected to take the brunt of the storm, with sustained wind speeds of 160 mph reported in an updated National Hurricane Center advisory, the Category 5 hurricane currently spinning its way across the Gulf of Mexico will have far-reaching ramifications.

"Milton is a very, very strong hurricane still forecast to make landfall somewhere around Tampa Bay on Wednesday, or Wednesday evening," said Neil Dixon, a Charleston-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

And indications are that Milton could continue to intensify before it makes landfall in Florida later this week.

Hurricane Wire

Should Milton make landfall as a Category 5 storm, it will be only the fifth such storm to do so in the U.S. since the 1850s, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. The last Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. was Hurricane Michael, which came ashore along the Florida Panhandle with 160-mph winds.

After making landfall, Milton will track across Florida and head into the Atlantic late Oct. 9 or early the following day. Afterward, its path will take the storm into the Atlantic off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.

Once over the Atlantic, Milton is expected to expand. That's when Milton will start to be a concern for the Palmetto State.

"The circulation around Milton is going to grow and have a very, very large circulation. Tropical storm-force winds will extend greater than 200 miles away from the center of the storm," Dixon said.

That growth will put the Lowcountry within Milton's circulation. Winds from the storm will arrive in the predawn hours Oct. 10 and continue through the daylight hours. Rounds of rainfall should also be expected. Wind and rain, however, are not the major worries for the Lowcountry.

"The primary concern that we have with Milton looks like it's going to the storm surge," said Dixon.

Minor coastal flooding in Charleston and coastal Colleton counties is expected with the late morning high tide Oct. 8 and again 12 hours later. As Milton spins off the coast, the chances of coastal flooding will increase.

The high tide that occurs during the early afternoon of Oct. 10 could bring major coastal flooding to the Lowcountry. The storm surge could continue to increase by the time the next high tide peaks in the early morning hours of Oct. 11. Dixon said that 3 to 4 feet of storm surge is possible.

Rip currents and breaking waves in excess of 5 feet are also predicted. The high surf and flooding tides will likely lead to significant beach erosion and possible damage to beachfront structures.

Tropical storm-force winds could occur in the Lowcountry, with the strongest gusts to be expected along the coast. The storm could bring 1 to 2 inches of rain along the southeast coast, with interior counties expected to receive less than a half-inch of rain.

The severity of impacts to South Carolina will be highly dependent on the exact path it follows. NWS advised that small adjustments to the storm's path would yield significant changes to the local forecast. A shift to the south will diminish possible impacts, while a shift to the north could have the opposite effect.

"If the track shifts just one or two counties to the north, counties to the north across Florida, that's going to bring noticeably worse conditions for the Lowcountry. That will put us probably in the envelope of receiving some heavy rainfall," Dixon said.

If very heavy rain occurs in conjunction with the high tides, significant rainfall flooding could exacerbate the predicted coastal flooding.

Once in the Atlantic, Milton is forecast to continue a track to the northeast and into the open ocean.

"Milton is different than Helene. Helene brought us significant tornado risk and damaging winds. We'll see gusty winds with this, but not as great as Helene. Milton looks like it's going to be a stronger storm," Dixon said.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Coyote sightings in Wagener Terrace and Lowndes Pointe are raising questions about mitigation and control for the wild animal.

Jill Asmer and her pup, Lucky, started their Monday morning like any other day.

“I was walking my dog, who’s a golden retriever, out of the neighborhood. A coyote ran out onto the street, in front of us. Probably 15 feet away from me,” Asmer said.

Asmer, a resident of 16 years, said she had never noticed coyote presence in her area before. She believed they were using the neighborhood as a pass-through from marshland on either side.

“It turned and stared at me; I think we shocked it. But it had a dead animal in its mouth. Thinking that is someone’s pet who has been lost… it is super disturbing to look at or even think about,” Asmer said.

The Wagener Terrace Neighborhood Association said they do not track formal numbers but from conversations with neighbors, noted a handful of missing pets. The group also claimed there have been three confirmed pet deaths and one pet injury.

Lisa Bonnerot, the hospital administrator for the local Patrick Veterinary Clinic, did not report anything “out of the ordinary.”

Daniel Atwell said he first noticed an issue in August with coyotes triggering his security lights and cameras. Most of the time, they were seen walking on the edge of the marsh behind his home and passing through.

“I didn’t report anything because I thought it was nature being active at night. I ever would have imagined them eating dogs, cats, pets,” Atwell says.

Atwell added it made him more cautious about going outside at night with his family.

“I have a puppy and I come out to let her out in the middle of the night. I bring a flashlight to make sure there’s nothing there. More times than not, there’s a coyote either stalking in the corner or crossing through our yard. The activity and brazenness of the coyotes is elevated significantly.”

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said it is up to property owners and homeowner associations to handle. The group is not funded or equipped to routinely trap nuisance wildlife throughout the state.

In a mitigation guide for suburban areas, the department reported coyotes are not known to attack people. However, coyotes being fed, intentionally or not, are more likely to lose fear of people.

If there is a rise in coyotes, the department has a list of Wildlife Control Operators and state-approved private trapper companies.

A depredation permit is required to trap damage-causing coyotes.

The department recommends keeping pets inside at night, emptying food bowls left outside and walking pets in an open area on a short leash. Seal or close trash bins. If there are feral cat colonies nearby, you are asked to limit feeding them.

“We’re nervous to let our kids out on the evenings on their own. We’re very cautious coming out in the evenings with kids, our dogs. We’re basically keeping them on leash in our backyards.”

“You’re scared to go out, do you carry pepper spray? How do you handle an encounter with a coyote if you have one? It’s not something you expect to worry about. It does make you fearful,” Asmer says. “This is wildlife but it’s also the city, neighborhoods and homes where we live. I do believe there needs to be some sort of control.”

The Wagener Terrace Neighborhood Association will hold a community meeting on Oct. 21 to create a formal plan for handling sightings and advocating for coyote control plans on the upper peninsula.

The Lowndes Pointe HOA did not respond to a request for comment.

The City of Charleston confirmed they are engaged with a trapper to speed up response efforts.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - The union for over 45,000 U.S. dockworkers has agreed to suspend a three-day ports strike until January to negotiate a new contract after reaching a tentative deal on Thursday.

The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The temporary end to the strike came after the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement on wages, the union and ports said in a joint statement.

A person briefed on the agreement said the ports sweetened their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%. The person didn’t want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.

Charleston ports workers gathered Thursday night at the ILA Local 1422 headquarters to celebrate news of the strike’s suspension.

“The hard part is worked out. It’s just now that we have to finish baking the cake, that’s what we call it in negotiations, we have to finish baking the cake,” ILA Local 1422 President Charles Brave Jr. said. “We got 90 days to get through this, but I tell them, rest assured, we’re going to have a ratification vote and I’m quite sure the agreement will be voted up. It’s just a matter of us working through the logistics of it.”

SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin released a statement following the strike suspension:

Now that the parties have agreed to resume their roles in our supply chain success, South Carolina’s maritime community stands prepared to deliver for shippers, including manufacturers, farmers and retailers, who utilize our port facilities to access global markets. Let’s get to work!”

Sen. Lindsay Graham also released a statement, stating that he is glad this strike is over and hopes to continue to help the public.

“Very good news indeed for suffering people throughout the Southeast that the port strike is over. It was beginning to have a devastating effect, adding misery to pain. I am glad this man-made disaster is behind us. Now we will have more resources to help the devastated.”

The dockworkers went on strike at 36 ports from Maine to Texas including the Port of Charleston at midnight on Tuesday seeking higher wages and the ban on the use of some automated equipment.

The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.

But in South Carolina, one of the states affected by Hurricane Helene, leaders expressed an even more grave concern: that the port strike could stop supplies needed for storm relief from getting to the people who were most in need.

President Joe Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday to survey the damage. During that meeting, Graham and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said they urged the president to take action on the strike.

“I’m all for people being treated fairly but I’ve urged President Biden not to let this go on much longer,” Graham said at a medical needs shelter in Greenville Wednesday afternoon after meeting with Biden. “What have I learned from my doctors today? That the hospitals are going to run out of supplies, and a lot of it comes from the port.”

Graham said $200 million of daily economic activity and 7,000 trucks in and out of the port to pick up and deliver goods were all completely shut down.

“This hurricane was Mother Nature. The port problem is manmade,” he said.

“The longer it lasts, the worst it’ll get,” McMaster said. “That’s why we asked President Biden today to consider, under the Taft-Hartley Act, that says that if a strike is a threat to the health or safety of the nation, that it can be enjoined for a period. So that’s what we’re hoping that he will do that if it’s not settled, not settled immediately.”

Dr. Ed Simmer, the interim director of the state’s Department of Public Health, said the state’s hospitals are going through a lot of medical supplies and pharmacies and doctor’s offices that have lost power will have to replace many of the medications that need to be refrigerated.

“But many of those things, many of those medical supplies, come through our ports. The longer this strike goes, the harder it’s going to be for us to get the medical supplies we need to get back on our feet,” Simmer said. “So certainly, the sooner that strike ends, the better it’ll be for the health of the people of South Carolina.”

Port workers are set to return to work on Friday.

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