Storm wave keeps computers guessing

Brad Nettles
The Post and Courier

Cody Proveaux of Leesville wipes water from his ear as he looks over a putt on the ninth green Wednesday. The final day of the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea golf tournament at the Country Club of Charleston was reduced to nine holes for the boys because of weather, and the final round for the girls was canceled.

A storm wave heading toward the Bahamas still might reach hurricane strength and slide up the East Coast, forecasters said Wednesday. It could be in the vicinity of the Lowcountry by Wednesday or Thursday next week.

But computer models predicting the storm's path don't quite agree yet. The path will come down to three things: How fast the storm moves, how strong it gets by the time it reaches the Bahamas and the Florida coast — likely by Monday — and which way it gets pushed by the tail end of a high pressure ridge in the Atlantic Ocean to its north.

"Where it goes is a big question," said meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, with AccuWeather.com, a private forecasting company. The Post and Courier is an AccuWeather.com customer. The storm could stay as far south as the Florida Straits. It could move up the coast or parallel to the coast, getting stronger on the way if it stays out to sea.

"I certainly think this is a feature the people of Charleston should pay attention to," Kottlowski said.

The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday gave the storm less than a 20 percent to 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression by Friday.

Meanwhile, the Lowcountry gets a little break from its late summer humidity today, courtesy of the storm front that blew through Wednesday. High temperatures shouldn't climb out of the 80s.

"I think it will be more comfortable than usual," said meteorologist Ron Morales, with the National Weather Service, Charleston. Sigh while you can, the humidity returns Friday.