Good afternoon Island residents,

Further to my earlier weather message I offer this update for your guidance.

Following the South Carolina Emergency Management Department and National Weather Service Charleston conference calls this morning, it is predicted that Charleston County (and Sullivan’s Island) will not experience any adverse winter weather on Sunday aside from 1 to 3 inches of rain. Therefore, shallow flooding is possible.  Flood slack water for Sunday is at 6:53am and 7:12pm.  However, the Midlands and Upstate may not be as fortunate.  In that regard, SCEMD is asking the Governor for a State of Emergency today. Should there be any change to our posture and weather predictions that could impact Charleston County this weekend, I will send out another message. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly.

State Weather Impacts:

• The Upstate and a portion of the Midlands is under a Winter Storm Watch for Saturday night through Sunday evening.
• The South Carolina mountains and Greenville area will look to get most of the snow.
• I-85 corridor will begin to get snow and will transition into sleet and then freezing rain late Saturday night/Sunday early morning.
• Minor Flooding is expected in the Pee Dee area.
• With the exception of the Pee Dee area all freezing rain looks to be north of I-95.

Local Weather Impact:

• It is predicted that early Sunday morning throughout the day we will receive a good amount of rain which could turn into some minor flooding.
• There are some areas within Charleston and Berkeley that may experience a little more rain than just 2 inches but just isolated areas
• There will be a small craft warning this weekend and strong winds on Monday.

Town Precautions:

• Sullivan’s Island remains at OPCON 3 and will monitor the weather advisories over the weekend.
• County, State and NWS staff will continue conference calls Saturday and Sunday.
• If needed our Charleston County EMD Duty Officers can partially activate the EOC virtually to setup the Citizens Information Line.
• Charleston County Public Works has reported that the motor graders and sand truck are on standby in the event of icy conditions.
• Charleston County PIO's Office is going to continue to send Public Service Announcements and social media posts over the weekend.

Please monitor your local media outlets this weekend for any weather changes.

Regards,
Andy Benke
Town Administrator
abenke@sullivansisland.sc.gov