Tag Archives: SC

Tropical Storm Chantal forecast to bring heavy rain to the Carolinas

Tropical Storm Chantal forecast to bring heavy rain to the Carolinas

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Chantal formed off the southeast U.S. coast and was forecast to bring heavy rains to parts of the Carolinas on Saturday. Tropical storm warnings were issued for portions of the two states, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The storm’s center was located about 80 miles (125 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday night, and 140 miles (225 kilometers) south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 45 mph (75 kph), and it was moving north at 7 mph (11 kph).

Rain bands from Chantal were moving over the coast, the hurricane center said, and the storm’s center was expected to move over South Carolina overnight or early Sunday. Some slight strengthening was expected, followed by rapid weakening after landfall.

Heavy rain was forecast for the coastal plain of the Carolinas through Monday — total rainfall of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters), with local amounts up to 6 inches — threatening flash flooding.

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More people have been asked to leave their homes in the North Carolina and South Carolina mountains as wildfires spread and the forecast for the rest of the week isn’t encouraging. A half-dozen large fires are burning in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Millions of fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are both providing fuel for the wildfires and blocking the logging roads and paths firefighters use to fight the blazes and create fire breaks. The forecast for this week is dry and windy. There’s a chance of rain over the weekend, but forecasters say it isn’t likely to be the kind of downpour that can knock a fire out on its own.… Continue Reading

Firefighters in the Carolinas battle multiple wildfires as New Jersey crews contain a forest blaze

Firefighters in the Carolinas battle multiple wildfires as New Jersey crews contain a forest blaze

Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.… Continue Reading

Wildfires prompt evacuations and an emergency declaration in the Carolinas

Wildfires prompt evacuations and an emergency declaration in the Carolinas

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation in one North Carolina county as emergency crews fought separate fires in an area of the state still recovering from Hurricane Helene, while South Carolina’s governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety issued a mandatory evacuation Saturday night for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina. The agency warns residents could be trapped, injured, or killed if they remain in the impacted areas. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency as part of an effort to stop a blaze in Pickens County called the Table Rock Fire that started Friday in the Blue Ridge Mountains.… Continue Reading

A South Carolina man executed by firing squad is the first US prisoner killed this way in 15 years

A South Carolina man executed by firing squad is the first US prisoner killed this way in 15 years

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been executed by firing squad, becoming the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by this method. Brad Sigmon was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m. Friday after being shot by three prison employee volunteers with rifles. Sigmon killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. The 67-year-old chose the firing squad because his lawyers said he considered it a better option than the electric chair or lethal injection. He is the first South Carolina prisoner to be executed by bullets.… Continue Reading

Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina

Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Lighter winds in South Carolina and North Carolina are helping firefighters battle blazes that caused evacuations and threatened hundreds of homes over the weekend. Firefighters kept a large blaze near Myrtle Beach from destroying any homes despite social media videos of orange skies at night and flames engulfing pine trees just yards away. The danger wasn’t over Monday. South Carolina officials banned almost all outdoor fires, including burning yard debris and campfires. In western North Carolina, firefighters were setting blazes to burn fuel and contain a wildfire in Polk County.… Continue Reading

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