UPDATE: Beaufort County under overnight tornado watch due to Category 4 Hurricane Helene

During its 6 p.m. Thursday briefing for Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office reinforced that tornadoes were the greatest threat for the Lowcountry and they upped overnight wind-gust speeds.

The service placed Beaufort County under a tornado watch until 8 a.m. Friday, shortly before a tornado warning expired at 9:15 p.m. Thursday. A tornado watch means twisters are possible in and near the watch area, which typically covers multiple counties or states.

Beaufort County was under the following advisories :

• Tropical storm warning until 1:15 a.m. Friday
• Tornado watch until 8 a.m. Friday
• High surf advisory until 8 p.m. Friday
• Rip current threat until 8 p.m. Friday

At 8:42 p.m. a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was 5 miles northeast of Wassaw Island, in Georgia, moving north at 40 mph, the service said.

Even before Helene had made landfall, which was expected in Florida’s Big Bend region later Thursday, South Carolina had already been under four tornado warnings throughout the day. A warning was issued in Beaufort County at 7 a.m. Thursday.

“We expect more to come tonight,” NWS Meteorologist Ron Morales said during the briefing.

Because Helene is a fast-moving system, the storm doesn’t feel friction of the ground, which brings in stronger winds, Morales said. Especially after 8 p.m., after the next rain band develops out of Florida, up into Georgia and then moves northward into South Carolina later tonight, winds will get stronger. At the peak, Beaufort could get 60 mph wind gusts around 3 a.m. Friday.

At 6:20 p.m., Helene intensified into a Category 4 hurricane. The storm was 120 miles west of Tampa, Florida, moving toward the north-northeast near 23 mph, with sustained wind speeds of 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center advisory .

Helene will weaken after making landfall and moving inland, the center said; however, the storm’s fast, forward speed will bring strong, damaging winds that will penetrate well inland across the Southeast.

Morales urged South Carolina residents to report real-time and in-depth flooding and storm damage from Helene. Any damage can be reported to the National Weather Service at inws.ncep.noaa.gov/report /.

Noon update

The threat of several tornadoes spawning in the Lowcountry on Thursday in Hurricane Helene’s wake has increased, according to the NWS’ Charleston Office.

During the service’s noon weather briefing, Morales said forecasters’ confidence had grown that Southeast South Carolina would get scattered tornadoes, with the majority blowing through Thursday evening. The service is also concerned that earlier-predicted land wind and wind gusts speeds will be higher.

At 2:25 p.m. Thursday, Helene strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane and was 315 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, packing winds near 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center .

Because Helene is rapidly intensifying, it can be “difficult to deal with,” Morales said, because, while the impacts don’t last long, the storm can feel significant.

“We’re not flying by the seat of our pants, we’re trying to fine tune things with maybe not the greatest (computer model) guidance,” Morales said. “Tornadoes’ impacts are getting to be one of our top concerns.”

Greater tornado concern

A tornado outbreak is considered between 4 and 6 twisters, Morales said. With Hurricane Debby, which hit Beaufort County as a tropical storm in August, there were eight confirmed tornadoes in South Carolina , according to the NWS. Two of those twisters were in Beaufort — one on Lady’s Island and the other on Saint Helena — and both clocked in as an EF-0.

Morales said predicted tornado counts with Helene will eclipse those that touched down during Debby.

“We’re expecting tornado warnings coming out later tonight and, again, those nighttime tornadoes (are dangerous), particularly as people sleeping don’t get the warning,” Morales said.

Before the NWS’ noon briefing, the service reported a tornado “likely” had touched down in Beaufort County early Thursday. The NWS issued a tornado warning at 7 a.m. Thursday and it was lifted at 7:45 p.m.

Beaufort County was under a tornado watch until 1:15 a.m Friday.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Emily McGraw said they had seen some damage like snapped trees and debris early. However, whether a tornado caused the damage is not confirmed, McGraw said. At about 7:03 a.m., tree damage was seen on Daufuskie Island, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Emily McGraw, and at 7:15 a.m., trees were snapped and minor debris shown around Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton.

Morales said tornadoes during these types of storm systems are typically quick-hitting, short-lived and not very strong. However, some twisters have defied the norm and led to significant damage.

There are no tornado sirens in Beaufort County , so it is imperative to have access to at least one alert system.

• CodeRED : Download the free CodeRED Mobile Alert app from the Google Play or iTunes store.
• Everbridge : Download the free Everbridge app from the Google Play or iTunes store.
• Other options : NOAA weather radio, news media coverage, Emergency Alert System on radio and TV broadcasts.

Heightened wind worry

Helene, which was 255 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, at 10 a.m. Thursday morning and packing 105 mph wind speeds, is a “very” large storm and is rapidly intensifying, possibly hitting Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, Morales said.

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen, but it’s already strong enough and the wind field is extending way out to the east,” Morales said.

Helene has about a 400-mile-wide wind field, larger than 90% of hurricanes, which may end up breaking the last-known record for storm size, Morales said.

In Beaufort County, winds gusts could whip up to 60 mph near the coast, according to the NWS’ latest briefing. More inland, the maximum gust speed is 54 mph.

Morales said that as the storm system progresses, the service would continue to assess whether it needed to increase wind-speed maximums for the Lowcountry.

The county could get up to 4 inches of rain, but Morales said the service is not expecting flooding to be a “massive issue.”

As quickly as the storm effects blow in Thursday is as fast as they’ll leave the area. By Friday sunrise, wind and rain should slow in Beaufort County, which is indicative of Helene rapidly northwestward movement late Thursday and into Friday, Morales said.