Beachgoers and drivers along the southeast Georgia and South Carolina coast are facing dangerous rip currents and minor tidal flooding Thursday and into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
What’s happening: Two separate coastal flood advisories cover different parts of the region. One, covering Coastal Glynn and Coastal Camden counties in Georgia, remains in effect until 3 p.m. Friday. That area also faces a High Rip Current Risk through Sunday evening. The second advisory covered Coastal Bryan, Coastal Chatham, Coastal Liberty, and Coastal McIntosh counties in Georgia, along with Beaufort and Coastal Jasper counties in South Carolina. That advisory expired at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, but the High Rip Current Risk for those areas continues through Thursday evening.
What to expect: In Glynn and Camden counties, flooding is expected in low-lying lots, parks, and roads, with only isolated road closures likely. In the areas covered by the second advisory, up to a half foot of standing saltwater above ground level was possible along shorelines and tidal waterways, with some roads affected. At Fort Pulaski, the water level was forecast between 9.4 and 9.6 feet, with the highest flood risk running from about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, centered around high tide at 10:59 a.m.
What this means for you: Rip currents along the entire affected coastline can pull even strong swimmers away from shore into deeper water. If you get caught in one, do not fight it. Relax, float, and swim parallel to the shore rather than straight back to the beach. If you cannot get out, face the shore and call or wave for help. Swim near a lifeguard when possible.
On the road: Allow extra travel time near the coast. Do not drive around barricades or through water when you cannot see the bottom. Move valuables out of flood-prone areas if you have not already.
Additional water level and flood information is available at water.weather.gov.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
