Grand Strand Weather
Temperatures. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW for short) is the dividing line in our area and can most definitely be felt in the summertime. Cross that bridge over the ICW into . . say . . North Myrtle Beach and it will feel 10 degrees cooler! We are such a moderate climate here - so fortunate. Do we have cold days here? Sure, but very few. There is no need for a fireplace here - you might use it 10 times a year. Most get them just because they think it's pretty, right? Or, you just can't imagine a house that doesn't have a fireplace! Does it get really hot here? Yep, sure does. July and August are pretty brutal - that's why you either head out early (or later in the evening) or head to the beach or community pool!
Storms. The beach breeze usually doesn't kick in until the afternoon and in the summer (if you're a weather geek), it is just wild to watch the radar! You'll see those breezes keep any storms away from the immediate coastline. But the humidity and extra heat inland, especially near the Waccamaw River (think Conway), you can see those storm clouds building in height and then BAM!! Big thunder and lightning for about 15-30 minutes. Our storms in the summer are tropical! They can dump a serious amount of rain in a small amount of time. What some areas get in a season, we could get in a single storm. For example, the morning of July 4, 2022, North Myrtle Beach/Little River area had a storm in which they received 6 INCHES OF RAIN! (We'll talk about how that's connected to some homes not having gutters, "swales" between homes and community ponds in a video). The month that seems to have the most rain and storms is July and that's when most people come here to vacation . . . come in June!
Tornadoes/Hurricanes. Unfortunately, these can go hand-in-hand. Our area is extremely fortunate in terms of hurricanes - the Myrtle Beach area has not taken a direct hit of a major hurricane in quite some time. The crescent shape of our coastline certainly helps as the storm typically remains offshore and continues north to the Outer Banks. That doesn't mean we haven't taken a few good sucker punches. Due to many low-lying areas, we are prone to flooding from heavy rains, tidal flooding and tornadoes from bands of strong, fast-moving storms that just seem to fly up the coast. Thankfully, these systems do tend to move fast, so what might have started as a fierce morning of storms can end with a lovely sunset!
With our recent good fortune, you will find most of your neighbors will stay in their homes during a storm. Evacuations thankfully are rare (the last was in Sept 2018 for Hurricane Florence). Of course, it is a personal decision. If you get a chance, ask Celia about her first experience in a hurricane . . . she doesn't typically stick around for them!
Here's the good news - we have tremendous resources to keep us informed should severe weather be in the forecast. Besides weather apps on your phone and local news, take a look at these as well:
Horry County "Know Your Zone" Evacuation Information, including a map in which you can enter your address and it tells you what, if any, evacuation zone you are in should the Governor along with county officials declare any mandatory evacuations. The county also offers the Horry County Hurricane Guide - really helpful to have on hand and if you've got a beach rental property - you may want to print this out and have it available for guests.
Finally, some of the best information has come from the local NBC-affiliate WMBF News. Their "Before the Storm" web page has some great information, especially for those who have not experienced hurricanes previously. They've even offered some interesting "Hurricane Hacks" to do preparing for power outages, lack of water, etc. An important thing to remember - if you decide to board up the windows of your home (however you do that), PLEASE DO NOT REMAIN IN THE HOME. If heaven forbid there is a fire, you have just greatly reduced your ability to quickly exit.
Snow/Ice. Even just the prediction of either of these will shut the entire area down. It's actually pretty entertaining. As SOON as you hear anyone mention a remote possibility of either - RUN to the grocery (and if necessary) liquor store to stock up (even if the ice melts in an hour, you will need a week's worth of everything, right?!?). If you are from an area that gets snow -- just enjoy this. However, if it's a rare ice storm (those come from the South - thank you, Atlanta), you will not like those at all. Unless you have a generator. Then you will have more friends than you know what to do with.