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Hurricane Helene’s wrath spawned three EF-0 tornadoes in Beaufort County between Thursday and Friday mornings, according to the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office.

On Wednesday, nearly 24 hours before the first twister touched down on Daufuskie Island, the NWS urged residents to prepare for scattered tornadoes, as meteorologists said the storm system had a “very good” setup for tornadoes to form.

Hurricanes and tropical storms can lead to the formation of tornadoes, because as the outer bands of a storm reach land, winds are slowed closer to the ground but remain strong at higher altitudes. The difference causes wind shear, which is a variation in wind speed and direction at different heights, and creates the spin required for tornado formation.

The first blaring of a tornado warning came at 7:05 a.m. Thursday, quickly following an EF-0 tornado that was packing 80 mph winds and had touched down on Daufuskie Island near Driftwood Cottage Lane at 7:03 a.m. The twister, which covered 6.66 miles and had a path width of 150 yards, spun northward across the island and lifted north of Big House Plantation Road near Myrtle Island on the mainland, according to the NWS.

At 7:18 a.m., a second warning rang out. Two minutes later, an EF-0 tornado with maximum winds of 76 mph touched down near Headwaters Road in Palmetto Bluff near Pritchardville, the service reported. The twister, which traveled 1.27 miles and had a 100-yard path width, rotated north and crossed the far western marshy area of the May River before crossing May River Road. The tornado dissipated north of May River Road.

Shortly after midnight, at 1:29 a.m. Friday, an EF-0 tornado with maximum winds near 70 mph hit the Gardens Corner area, north of Beaufort. The twister touched down southeast of Washington Farm Road, then spun northwest across Stroban Road near Daniels Drive, according to the NWS. The rotating system, which covered 3.87 miles and had a 175-yard path width, then crossed US Highway 17 before dissipating in a marshy area.

Based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, tornado ratings account for estimated wind speeds and related damages. An EF-0 tornado must have an estimated 3-second wind gust between 65 mph and 85 mph.

As of Monday morning, NWS Meteorologist Jonathan Lamb said the three tornadoes were the only confirmed in Beaufort County so far. Most recently, in early August, the NWS reported two short-lived EF-0 twisters, one on Lady’s Island and the other on Saint Helena Island, as a result of Tropical Storm Debby.

This story was originally published September 30, 2024, 12:47 PM.

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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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As the sun rose in Beaufort County on Friday, clear damage from Helene’s wake quickly came into focus, with fallen trees, debris littering roadways, downed power lines and thousands without electricity.

During a statewide Helene update at 2 p.m. Friday, Gov. Henry McMaster said there were possibly more power outages from Helene than any other storm in recent history.

The National Weather Service’s John Quagliariello said at the update that Beaufort clocked the highest wind gusts of 75 mph. Quagliariello said the service issued 63 tornado warnings across South Carolina. It’s unknown how many were actual tornadoes, he said, adding that over the next few days the service’s survey teams will assess and then confirm twisters.

Crews were working diligently in Beaufort County into the afternoon, shoring up debris, fallen limbs, restoring power and making roadways safe to travel. While some damage cleanup, a portion of May River Road between Buckwalter Parkway and Old Miller Road will be closed for an extended period of time due to downed power lines and trees, according to an email from the Town of Bluffton’s spokesperson Debbie Szpanka.

Szpanka said Dominion Energy is working through its list of repairs. The road is expected to be closed through the day and into the evening

Early Friday morning, Stephen Combs, Bluffton Township Fire District public information officer, said the storm damage the service was responding to is “extensive.”

Combs said later Friday that the service had responded to 130 calls in the past 24 hours, which “far exceeds what we had even during Hurricane Matthew.”

Fire departments across Beaufort county have had a busy 12 hours responding to storm related calls. Between midnight and 9 a.m. Friday, Hilton Head Island Fire responded to 35 downed trees, two of which involved damage to buildings, according to spokesperson Joheida Fister.

Around 6 a.m., Scott Harris of the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire District said that there many trees and power lines down and debris on the roadways.The Beaufort/ Port Royal Fire department had responded to 12 storm related calls by 6 a.m., according to Deputy Chief Ross Vezin.

On Hilton Head Island, a beach patrol truck drove along the sands of Coligny Beach at 9:30 a.m., flying a red flag to indicate a high risk of rip currents due to Helene. The beach was dotted with seaweed and other small debris as the wind whipped against walkers on the coastline. In anticipation of tropical storm-force winds, Hilton Head Island’s beach patrol had secured all fold-able rental chairs to posts near the sand dunes.

Despite the conditions on the island, mostly remaining strong winds, several groups of bicyclists and walkers were seen dodging piles of debris on the outskirts of Coligny Beach and many ventured into the area to assess local damage.

In Burton, its fire district responded over 50 emergency calls related to Helene, according to a Friday news release from the district. Several of the emergency calls were for wires and trees down, and electrical fires involving exploding transformers.

Burton firefighters also responded to a house fire before 1:30 a.m. Friday on Winsor Road in Shell Point, along with six emergency calls for trees falling on homes with trapped people who had to be rescued in three of the incidents. A woman was trapped in a vehicle after she struck a tree that had come down across the road of Trask Parkway and Seabrook Center Road. The district said no serious injuries were reported in any of the incidents.

Between Thursday and Friday mornings, the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office had received nine preliminary local storm damage reports due to Helene. The reports ranged from felled trees to possible tornadoes.

Below is a following time-stamped list:

If you have damage in your area please email information, photos and or video to newsroom@islandpacket.com

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 8:40 AM.

BEAUFORT — The Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority wants customers to limit water usage to essential needs due to widespread power outages caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

The authority is still able to provide water, according to spokesperson Jeff La Rue, but two-thirds of their water and wastewater system pump stations are without power. The authority has generators operating, but officials expect the issue to last multiple days.

"It's the worst damage our system has seen since Hurricane Matthew in 2016," La Rue said.

Area residents are asked to:

Downed trees and widespread power outages were left in Helene's wake as the massive storm's outer bands lashed the Lowcountry the evening of Sept. 26 into early Sept. 27.

Thousands of Beaufort County residents were without power as crews with Dominion Energy and the Palmetto Electric Cooperative worked through high winds. As of 10 a.m., nearly 55,000 residents — or more than a quarter of the county's population — were among the more than 1.3 million statewide without power.

The Beaufort County School District held an e-learning day and canceled after-school events for Sept. 27 due to power outages at multiple schools.

Road blockages have caused delays to the county's Emergency Medical Services, according to spokesperson Virginia Marshall, who urged patience from 911 callers.

Helene has caused minimal delays for travelers in the area, according to Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport spokesperson Lori Lynah. The handful of delays and cancellations were caused by flights unable to land as the storm passed through or by destinations experiencing bad weather.

President Joe Biden will travel to South Carolina and North Carolina on Wednesday Oct. 2 to assess the widespread damage from Tropical Storm Helene.

No details of where the president may land or visit on the ground were immediately released by the White House, which only announced he would visit both states.

"He will take an aerial tour of areas impacted by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, receive operational briefings, and greet with first responders and local officials," the announcement said.

"He will also engage with first responders and state and local officials in South Carolina en route to North Carolina," the alert said.

Biden earlier said he would visit Hurricane Helene-impacted areas this week as long as it did not disrupt the on-going rescue and recovery operations across multiple Southeastern states.

The White House also said Vice President Kamala Harris will visit as well as soon as possible, The Associated Press reported.

Hurricane Wire

This is the first visit to a South Carolina disaster zone by a sitting president since September 2018 when then-President Donald Trump toured Hurricane Florence damage in the state, including in Conway.

Check back with this developing story.

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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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After a night of heavy, whistling winds and widespread power outages across the county, Hilton Head Island emerged from the storm largely unscathed. In fact, the island was as lively as ever.

Residents and visitors were out and about in large numbers in the Coligny Beach area, chatting over the noise of workers’ leaf blowers and trees rustling in the still-strong wind. Bicyclists navigated through paths and parking lots strewn with leaves and tree branches. Business owners launched cleanup efforts, preparing for the surge of customers that would come with the warm weekend.

Hilton Head dodged the brunt of overnight damage from Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm early Friday morning as it launched a deadly onslaught in Florida and Georgia. With most of its electric lines located underground, the island was safe from the on-and-off power outages that still plagued surrounding areas well into Friday morning.

And while the storm system already promised pricey rehabilitation efforts in northern Beaufort County — washing boats into backyards, damaging docks and flooding Beaufort’s waterfront park — damage appeared minimal on Hilton Head. With a broom and some determination, most evidence of the previous night’s conditions could be swept away by the morning’s end.

Crews from Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue responded to about 40 storm-related incidents between midnight and 9 a.m. Friday. The agency reported 35 downed trees, two of which damaged buildings, according to spokesperson Joheida Fister.

Dozens of walkers and bicyclists on Coligny Beach braved the continuing strong winds Friday morning, even with small children and dachshunds in tow. At times, gusts reached above 30 mph on the low-tide sands, which were littered with seaweed and other small pieces of debris.

Pittsburgh natives Ted and Andrea Swoger had vacationed in Hilton Head for about 20 years, but Helene was the first real storm they experienced on the island. They began their stay at the Seaside Villas at the beginning of the week and didn’t think once about cutting it short due to the weather.

“We walked the beach this morning like we always do, just to see what was happening,” Andrea Swoger said. “We didn’t have any bad experience.”

After their walk, the Swogers sat down for breakfast at Sweet Al’s Cafe, watching Hilton Head wake up around them.

“Looks like the island’s up early, cleaning up,” Andrea Swoger said with a smile.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 11:47 AM.

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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.

Expand All

Storm surge and high winds from Tropical Storm Helene hammered Port Royal’s iconic boardwalk and beached several boats in Beaufort early Friday morning.

“It’s crazy,” said Bay Street resident Mike Milano. “There’s four boats washed up in my backyard right now.” His home is on the Beaufort River.

The high winds and surf pushed boats around like toys and several were seen on the riverbank, presumably washed there from the mooring field attached to the Beaufort Marina. The rough water also heavily damaged the public landing dock at the marina, which appeared to have snapped in one place and was underwater. Waves lapped at the promenade near the marina where windswept boats were clustered in unfamiliar territory.

To the south in Port Royal, a section of the Henry Robinson Boardwalk on Battery Creek, one of the region’s most popular destinations, was washed away in the storm.

The section between the boat landing and covered pier took the brunt of the damage, Town Administrator Van Willis said.. At 9:30 a.m., the town was in the process of shutting down Sands Beach Road, which leads to the beach and the boardwalk, to the public. “We do not need the public at risk, period,” Willis said.

“The storm ended up being a lot worse than everybody anticipated and we’ve got significant trees down everywhere,” Willis added.

Beaufort City Manager Scott Marshall said late Friday morning that tree damage in the city was significant.

“We literally had dozens of trees down across power lines or across roads,” Marshall said.

The city was assessing the damage to the dock and the marina as well, he said. Marshall counted nine boats that had broken away in the high winds and ended up on the shore.

“It’s more significant I think than any of us had anticipated,” Marshall said of damage from the storm. “Our crews will be busy for a while.”

There were a few reports of large trees falling on houses and cars, including one in the Shell Point area of Port Royal and another at the Hampton Inn on Boundary Street in Beaufort, according to the Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department.

Milano, the Beaufort resident, walked along the shoreline at around 7 a.m. to survey the beached boats. He noticed that winds knocked down a brick wall near his home and ripped shingles and siding off of his house.

The storm system, which was a Category 4 Hurricane when it made landfall in Florida, had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached Beaufort County early Friday.

As the sun rose Friday morning, it revealed streets littered with tree branches and Spanish moss and traffic lights were dark. A Port Royal officer directed traffic at the busy intersection of Ladys Island Drive and Ribaut Road because the traffic lights were not working.

The sun was peeking through the gray clouds by late Friday morning but Beaufort County was expected to remain under a tropical storm warning until 1:15 p.m.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center said it had received dozens of reports of downed trees and power lines and advised residents to use caution when traveling.

Early Friday morning, Dominion Energy reported nearly 37,000 customers without power but electricity was being restored in some locations as the morning progressed. Palmetto Electric initially reported more than 20,000 customers without electricity.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 9:30 AM.