Hurricane Matthew has made landfall in northeastern South Carolina. WHQR’s Isabelle Shepherd reports the National Weather Service in Wilmington, which covers fourteen counties in the region, has issued a Flash Flood Emergency Warning in Horry County.
Flash flood warnings are somewhat commonplace along the coast, but the National Weather Service in Wilmington has never issued a flash flood emergency warning before. This warning is used only in cases where the threat to life and property are extreme. That’s all according to Andy Hatzos, a forecaster with the National Weather Service:
"There is an area of extremely heavy rainfall that is occurring on an area that’s already received several inches of rain today, and we’re going to be pushing up towards 10 inches, maybe even more in some of these locations, in places along the coast where storm surge and coastal flooding is also occurring at the same time."
Flooding is expected to be a real issue for more than just Horry County, however. A flash flood warning is in effect for southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. More and more roads are closing due to flooding as the storm moves closer to Wilmington.
Officials are urging residents to stay off the roads.