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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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Although a beach trip isn’t recommended, Hilton Head Island’s public parks and beaches remained open Thursday as the aggressive Hurricane Helene marched its way toward Florida, bringing a tornado watch to Beaufort County and a “likely” twister touchdown in the Bluffton area.

The Town of Hilton Head Island cannot technically shut down its beaches, but it can close down access points at its seven “beach parks” at Fish Haul Beach, Islander’s Beach, Folly Field Beach, Driessen Beach, Burke’s Beach, Coligny Beach and Alder Lane Beach. During Tropical Storm Debby last month, officials shuttered these access points and all other public facilities on the island for a two-and-a-half day period.

As of Thursday morning, Hilton Head emergency manager Thomas Dunn said there were “no plans” to close the town’s beach parks and other public parks.

“Obviously, if there’s a mandatory evacuation by the governor, we’ll definitely close everything down,” Dunn said. “We just take each storm individually.”

Any hurricane-related road closures, including that of the Hilton Head bridges, are decided by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

As Helene’s high winds made their way to the Lowcountry, Dunn said the town was taking “extra precautions” in public areas, such as rolling up mats at beach access points and relocating trash bins that weren’t secured to the ground. In the Beaufort County area, wind speeds are expected to reach between 30 and 40 mph Thursday night with possible gusts up to 60 mph, according to the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service’s Charleston office.

Lifeguards at all Hilton Head beaches were flying red flags Thursday due to a high risk of rip currents making swimming “extremely dangerous,” according to Shore Beach Service. Beach patrol anticipates “rapidly deteriorating surf conditions” throughout the day and will limit swimmers to wading only.

Despite the dark-gray skies and choppy surf, live webcams near Singleton Beach captured errant visitors walking the coastline and groups of bicyclists around noon Thursday. As conditions worsen, officials are urging islanders to stay home if possible.

“The biggest thing is once this storm starts to ramp up later (Thursday), is just stay put; let it pass,” Dunn said. “It’s a pretty fast-moving storm. Later on Friday, everything should move on out — then we can have a great weekend.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2024, 12:42 PM.

Charleston-area barrier islands reported less erosion than initially anticipated from Tropical Storm Debby as officials assessed the shorelines during a lull in the storm Aug. 7.

Charleston’s beach leaders expected severe erosion throughout the week from Tropical Storm Debby as meteorologists predicted the storm would bring powerful winds, potentially historic amounts of rainfall and catastrophic flooding that could last for days.

And while Debby did bring excessive rain and storm force winds, it appears that preparations taken by officials in Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Kiawah, Seabrook and Sullivan’s islands ahead of the storm have paid off, at least so far.

Tropical Storm Debby is loitering in the Atlantic Ocean before making an anticipated second landfall along northern Charleston County's coastline late Aug. 7 or early Aug. 8.

The National Weather Service's Charleston office reported that the potential for "life-threatening flooding" has decreased but advised that South Carolina isn't quite out of the woods yet.

An additional 6 inches of rain are anticipated through early Aug. 10.

Hurricane Wire

Some erosion reported near Breach Inlet

Flooding persisted on Palm Boulevard and the side streets of Isle of Palms, spilling into lawns and sidewalks.

On 25th Avenue, where a possible tornado brought down tree limbs and shingles, neighbors had already begun clearing debris from the road and lawns.

Handmade signs with the directive "go slow, no wake," written on them urged drivers to cautiously navigate the street, which was still full of standing water at noon on Aug. 7.

Several of the public beach access points remain flooded from when the storm made landfall Aug. 5, with waterlogged boardwalks making it difficult to get onto the shore.

Isle of Palms Mayor Phillip Pounds said the city had weathered Tropical Storm Debby relatively well, noting that some erosion did occur on the beach.

Breach Inlet on Isle of Palms side was the worst hit, Pounds said. During high tide, water lapped at the base of eroded dunes near 3rd Avenue, leaving little room to traverse the beach.

"There's some decent erosion on the Breach Inlet, although it didn't completely wipe out all the work that we've been doing down there in the last year," Pounds said, referring to the ongoing sand scraping efforts to restore the dunes on this part of the beach.

In preparation for Debby, city staff placed sandbags on the northern side of the beach near Beachwood East. Pounds said the wall of sandbags held up well in the rain.

More sandbags are on order, Pounds added, which will be placed on the Breach Inlet side of the beach later this month until the upcoming Army Corps beneficial use project is complete.

Damage seen on Sullivan's Island dunes

Intermittent bands of rain misted the island, where portions of Sullivan's Island were still flooded on Aug. 7. Beach accesses and side streets near the lighthouse on Ion Avenue were closed off with bright green cones blocking the roadway.

The Station 21 beach access was flooded around 10 a.m. The ocean had broken through parts of the dune system here, the vegetation soaked in salty water.

Rebecca Fanning, the town's director of resilience and natural resource management, said town staff had begun documenting the state of the dune system with photos.

"We did notice that some of the dunes that are in the most vulnerable places did get cut into, but certainly it was minimal disturbance to the dune system," Fanning said.

The dunes near Station 19 and Station 20 had been eaten into, Fanning said, along with some near the Breach Inlet side of Sullivan's Island. This section of the beach was hit hard by the December nor'easter and is on track to get more sand via the Army Corps' beneficial use project.

"We've still got a couple of high tides to go through before this is all over, but I think the worst of it is behind us already," Fanning said.

Hurricane Wire

Folly Beach erosion not as bad as could have been

On Folly Beach, where a large-scale beach renourishment project is underway, the island saw some flooded roadways from Tropical Storm Debby.

Progress on the nearly complete renourishment project stalled ahead of Debby's arrival.

City staff completed a ride through of the beach on Aug. 7 to assess the storm damage, Mayor Tim Goodwin said.

"As of yesterday we've lost some sand, I know, just from seeing previous days, but not as much sand as I thought we were going to lose," Goodwin said.

Goodwin said the damage is far less than the island experienced last December during the nor'easter. Folly Beach officials reported up to 20 feet of erosion following the winter storm.

Save for a handful of power outages, a few fallen trees and flooded streets, the city of Folly Beach held up well throughout the storm.

"We've been lucky. There's just no other way to say it. We were just lucky with this storm," Goodwin said.

Charleston residents did not feel many significant effects from the tropical system heading toward the Carolinas. The National Weather Service on Sept. 16 lifted the tropical storm warning for Charleston and Berkeley counties as Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 moved north. A warning remained in effect for Myrtle Beach and southeast North Carolina.

“The heaviest rainfall should stay north of our area — Georgetown (and) northward,” said Ron Morales, a warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS office in Charleston.

As of 2 p.m. Sept. 16, maximum sustained winds were 40 mph, and the system was moving to the north-northwest at 5 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Chances for the disturbance to develop into a tropical or subtropical storm diminished to 10 percent.

Small craft advisories remained in effect due to windy conditions on the water, he said. The weather service reported a high risk for rip currents on all beaches. Residents in the tri-county area might have notice occasional gusts of winds, especially on bridges, Morales said.

“Everything is kind of ramping down, and we're more or less out of the woods for any major impacts for here (in Charleston),” Morales said.

Throughout the week, Charleston will see elevated tide levels from king tides. This tide cycle occurs when the sun and moon align and are closer to Earth, making their gravitational pull on tides stronger. High tide in Charleston is usually about 5.5 feet. This week, it will be closer to 7 feet, Morales said.

Winds from the tropical storm moving northward could help lessen the impacts of these higher tides, he said.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - Folly Beach is having its 22nd Wahine Classic, where around 250 young girls and women will participate in a surf competition this weekend.

“The mission of the FBWC is to share the strength of surfer women of all ages and abilities through a fun weekend of surf competition and camaraderie,” Director of the Folly Beach Wahine Classic Nicole Elko says.

The Folly Beach Wahine Classic is the longest-running girls’ surf contest on the East Coast and South Carolina’s only all-female surf contest. Tents, vendors, families and friends flood the beach watching young girls and women compete.

The contest started at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

There were almost 20 divisions, one of them being the Goddess 50 and up class.

Barbara Corey, 74, has participated in 21 out of the 22 years the Folly Beach Wahine Classic has taken place.

“I’ve been to every contest except one because I had a heart attack and they wouldn’t let me,” Corey said.

She says even though she’s had a heart attack and got bitten by a shark, it’s all worth it.

“It’s too fun to quit, you know. I’m not the spryest person out there anymore. I really don’t care whether I win or lose. I do it to just do it. You know, I love it,” Corey said.

While she’s been surfing for over 60 years, Corey said she’s proud to see so many women start their surfing journey.

“There’s been a big difference, you know, especially with the short-board revolution,” Corey said.

Elko says it’s important for women to empower each other at The Washout, what she describes as “a male-dominated surf spot.”

“We had very few women in surfing 22 years ago, and today. In fact, today, we’re seeing women surfing at Teahupo in the Olympics,” Elko said. “It’s actually one of the sports that has come the farthest in the last 22 years.”

The competition continues at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Published: Jul. 11, 2024 at 3:44 AM PDT|

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Folly Beach is taking action to prioritize safety on the roads and city officials want community feedback.

In April, the City of Folly Beach approved a contract to develop a Safety Action Plan to improve infrastructure and access. Now, the city is working on developing this plan. The Department of Transportation defines a Safety Action Plan as a “comprehensive safety plan aimed at reducing and eliminating serious-injury and fatal crashes affecting all roadway users,” while utilizing, “data analysis to characterize roadway safety problems and strengthen a community’s approach through projects and strategies that address the most significant safety risks.”

Road safety continues to be an issue throughout the state of South Carolina, especially when it comes to pedestrians. The City of Folly Beach is looking at how safe road users in the area feel when driving, walking and biking throughout the city.

Katie Zimmerman is the executive director of Charleston Moves, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists that is working with Folly Beach on the development of this Safety Action Plan. Zimmerman says this is a vital effort, as pedestrian and cyclist safety is such a present crisis throughout the entire state.

She says some things that could come out of this plan are improved crosswalks, intersections, new signals and a focus on road projects like the Complete Streets project, specifically on Arctic Avenue. Zimmerman believes that a major part of this Safety Action Plan will be to develop a Target Zero Plan in Folly Beach. This would set a goal to get the number of traffic fatalities down to zero by a certain year. She says they will also create a prioritized list of projects based on a cost-benefit analysis to decide where to put their focus to get the most safety at the best cost.

“The overarching goal of any safety plan is, you want to develop designs that are going to encourage motorists to drive slower. This doesn’t mean causing a huge amount of traffic congestion, but it just means getting drivers to naturally drive at a more humane speed so that you’ve got more of a people-oriented place that’s enjoyable and safe for everybody to get around,” Zimmerman says.

Zimmerman says she thinks the Safety Action Plan will take a few months to fully develop, based on her experience working with other municipalities.

Safety is the main priority of the plan, and Zimmerman says that one of the major motivations for completing the plan is that it will then make the city eligible to apply for federal funding so they can implement improvements discussed in the plan. She hopes that this is something that all the municipalities in Charleston County will eventually adopt.

“We’re really hoping to see this happening all over the county so that we’ve got all of these cohesive plans coming together. And then all of these municipalities are able to work toward actually constructing the improvements,” Zimmerman says. “Ultimately the end game would be a workable connected system for people to safely walk and bike all over the county.”

Thursday evening the city will be hosting a community meeting where they will have a first look at crash data findings that they have gathered and explain the process of the Safety Action Plan while also providing residents an opportunity to express their concerns. Zimmerman encourages everyone to come out and share their feedback and personal experiences. The community meeting will be drop-in style and will take place at the Folly Beach Community Center located at 55 Center Street. It is open for anyone to attend - both residents and those who frequent the area. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. but, City officials have an online survey for residents who are unable to make it to submit their feedback and that is linked here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Southerners are opinionated about a lot of things. The proper way to make sweet tea, the importance of thank-you notes, and which college football teams are worth cheering on—just to name a few. In the summer, we mostly agree that the best place to vacation is at the beach. Sun, sand, and surf are universally loved, but that doesn’t mean we all agree on the best place to find the time-honored trifecta. We’ve certainly got our opinions on top Southern beaches, which means y’all undoubtedly do too. What are the best beaches in the South? Well, the jury’s still—and may always be—out. However, we were interested in what y’all had to say. So, we asked, and you answered. These are the 15 best beaches in the South, according to our readers (in no particular order).

Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama

Lots of folks sang the praises of Alabama’s Gulf Coast and particularly its twin towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. These 32 miles of sugary sand beaches and docile Gulf of Mexico waves captured our readers hearts. The beaches’ family friendly amenities were a big draw too.

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Outer Banks, North Carolina

While this area technically encompasses more than 10 beaches—including popular spots like Hatteras, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, and Duck—readers agreed that this stretch of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina has that special something.

Folly Beach, South Carolina

We know our readers love Charleston (it’s been named the South’s Best City more times that we can count), so it’s only fitting that its salty next-door neighbor of Folly Beach is also a favorite haunt for our crowd. Just 12 miles from the Holy City, you get all the Lowcountry charm with none of the big-city fuss.

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Sanibel Island, Florida

Nicknamed America’s Shelling Capital, it’s easy to see why folks fall in love with this Florida community so easily. Nearly 70% of the barrier island is protected, meaning visitors can still enjoy a secluded, natural escape without the overdevelopment so many other oceanfront communities face.

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Oak Island

Snuggled between bigger coastal destinations like Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, Oak Island eight miles of beaches are a family friendly escape with the perfect balance of things to do and places to unplug.

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Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Another barrier island beach town, Kiawah Island is bound by the Kiawah River on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Regular public roasts and 30 miles of paved bike trails give this Lowcountry gem that extra edge.

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Pensacola, Florida

The farthest west of Florida’s beloved panhandle beaches, Pensacola is known for its gorgeous, crystal-clear turquoise water and snow-white sand. That’s about all it needs to draw plenty of faithful visitors, but its excellent restaurants and bi-weekly Blue Angels air shows only add to its draw.

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Thirty minutes up the coast from ever-popular Myrtle Beach is an entirely different beach destination with a style all its own. While we’re all familiar with the Grand Strand capital, it’s less-flashy neighbor to the north has lots of the same appeal with far fewer crowds.

Isle of Palms, South Carolina

People have been flocking to this seven-by-one-mile island on the South Carolina coast since the early ‘70s, and our impromptu reader poll proves the destination has staying power. Wild Dunes Resort and The Windjammer are a couple classic Isle of Palms spots that don’t seem to be going out of style any time soon.

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Destin, Florida

It’d be hard to overstate the enthusiasm with which our readers recommended this Panhandle beach town on Florida’s Emerald Coast. Nicknamed the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” the destination has grown far beyond village status now. But you can still find old-school charm and plenty of long-loved businesses and stays there today.

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Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Often topping our South’s Best polls for favorite beach towns and islands, our readers have yet to grow numb to Hilton Head’s charms. There’s excellent golf, beach paths galore, plus top-notch shopping and dining to be found here. The 12 miles of wide, public beaches are just the cherry on top.

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Anna Maria Island, Florida

This surpassingly quaint island community successfully resisted the draw of high-rise condos. Its three towns of Anna Maria, Bradenton, and Holmes Beach provide all the excitement—by way of eclectic boutiques, local restaurants, and cozy cottage stays—one could need.

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Tybee Island, Georgia

The coastal kin to another of our readers’ favorite Southern cities, Tybee Island is sometimes simply referred to as Savannah’s Beach. But the barrier island is much more than that. Visitors get the full experience by climbing the Tybee Island Lighthouse, searching for dolphins, and taking a charter to wild and uninhabited Little Tybee Island.

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Edisto Island, South Carolina

South Carolina beaches may have won popularity vote. Edisto’s rich history, beautiful landscapes, and small-town sensibilities are right up our readers’ alleys. So it’s no wonder they recommended the sparsely populated barrier island with such gusto.

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St. George Island, Florida

Located in an area that’s sometimes referred to as Florida’s Forgotten Coast, those who have visited may beg to differ about this place’s ability to be forgotten. Serenity, seclusion, and character-filled seafood shacks are the calling cards for this surprisingly vibrant beach destination.