As 2023 hurricane season approaches, here's what people living in South Carolina should know
June 1 is just around the corner, which means the countdown is on to the start of hurricane season.
It is no secret that the last few years of hurricane seasons have been nothing short of active.
The year 2020 is still infamous for being the busiest hurricane season on record, accounting for 30 named storms.
The following year was the third most-active year on record, and even though 2022 broke many records of its own, unlike the two years prior, we did not even check off the entire list of storm names.
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While our region does not necessarily see the direct impacts from a tropical system, South Carolina can still feel the effects.
Just within the last two years, South Carolina was impacted by two powerful storms.
Tropical Storm Fred from 2021, brought deadly flooding and a record number of tornado warnings for a day to our area. In 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a category 5 hurricane, then the storm made a second landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, causing quite a bit of damage and flooding.
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The 2023 list of storm names has been updated this year to replace Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate, as those names have since been retired.
Although June officially kicks off the season, preseason storms are not out of the ordinary.
Every year since 2015, a named storm has formed before June 1. And in the last 30 years, the average first named storm comes on June 20, and the average first hurricane to form is Aug. 11.
Hurricane season officially runs from June through November, but according to average totals per month, August and September account for the most tropical activity, peaking around Sept. 10.
So, as hurricane season begins to heat up in the coming months, it is important to stay up to date with our weather team and prepare before the storm hits, so you and your family can remain safe this year.