South Carolina Braces for Second Landfall by Weakened by Still-Dangerous Hurricane Ian
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After devastating central and southern Florida, Hurricane Ian has regained some of its strength and turned northward, preparing to make a second landfall on Friday along the South Carolina coast.
At noon on Friday, the eye of Hurricane Ian was about 60 miles southeast of the port of Charleston, creeping northward at 14 miles per hour. However, its powerful rain bands had been lashing the coastal states of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina for nearly a day, dumping inches of rain and bringing powerful winds and a dangerous storm surge.
Ian’s reign of terror began in Cuba on Tuesday, when it crossed the western half of the island as a Category 3 storm. All electricity was knocked out, although some power had been restored by Friday. Two people died in Pinar del Rio, which was devastated by the storm.
11 am EDT 9/30 - #Ian is accelerating toward the South Carolina coast with life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds expected soon. Here are the key messages for the hurricane. You can view the latest advisory at https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/WawAl84AxT
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 30, 2022
Fierce winds and storm surge at South Island Landing on the Intracoastal Waterway #scwx #Ian pic.twitter.com/1RHMAVjrMr
— Victor T. (@VictorT_Wx) September 30, 2022
The storm lost little strength as it crossed Cuba, and grew even stronger as it approached the western coast of Florida. Ian came ashore on Wednesday with 155 mph winds and an unprecedented storm surge of 18 feet. Power was knocked out for millions of people and hundreds are feared dead. Six deaths have already been confirmed as of Friday afternoon.
As it slowly crept across the state, Ian weakened into a tropical storm, but regained strength once it reemerged over the Atlantic, and is preparing to make a second landfall on Friday as a Category 1 storm with winds of 85 mph. As it has weakened, its strong winds have spread further out from the eye.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia until 10 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/LrTLBdPfat
— NWS Wakefield (@NWSWakefieldVA) September 30, 2022
According to the National Weather Service, Ian is bringing a storm surge of between 4 and 7 feet, driving seawater onto land with its powerful winds. The governors of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have all declared states of emergency ahead of Ian’s arrival, with heavy rains and winds expected across the region, but especially in the Appalachian mountains that are inland.
