Full Notification

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Division continues to closely monitor Hurricane Michael. According to this afternoon's National Hurricane Center advisory, the storm is in the Gulf of Mexico moving north at 12 miles per hour and has maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour.
 
Beaufort County and neighboring coastal areas are under a tropical storm watch, which means tropical storm force winds are possible within the next 48 hours—Wednesday night into Thursday. In addition, the National Weather Service issued coastal flood and high surf advisories for our area through Thursday.

Forecasts indicate Beaufort County may experience the following impacts as a result of the storm: 

• Winds 25 to 35 miles per hour – gusts could reach 45 miles per hour and possibly up to 60 miles per hour
• Possible damage to roofing and siding. Travel along bridges may be difficult. Scattered power outages
• Elevated threat for tornadoes Wednesday afternoon into Thursday
• 2 to 4 inches of rain forecast between tonight and Friday morning
• Marine conditions -  8 to 10 foot seas, winds 40 to 45 knots
• Coastal flooding due to high tides
• High rip current risk

Currently, there are no bridges closed or plans to close bridges in Beaufort County. There will be conference calls between state, county, municipal and other government officials tomorrow morning to discuss potential storm impacts and recommendations for our area. The Sheriff's Office will release additional information following tomorrow morning's conference calls.  

Please continue to follow official sources for information on Hurricane Michael and avoid misinformation spread through social media. Please tell your family and friends to sign up for NIXLE www.nixle.com to receive up-to-date information on matters of public safety.  

We encourage you to monitor the storm on your own through the National Weather Service Charleston https://www.weather.gov/chs/

Thank you for your partnership and continued commitment to the safety of our community.