A meteorologist from our sister station WIS in Columbia, SC went to Facebook on Wednesday to plea for schools in their area to close in preparation of the incoming storm.
Tim Miller urged schools to close on Thursday.
"This storm will not have the same conditions as we saw with Florence in September," he said in the post. "The potential for damage to life and property is much higher with this storm. I will defend your decision to close school and support you all the way."
One parent commented on the post, "Mine won’t be going no matter what the district decides! Thank you Tim Miller for posting this so I know I’m making the right decision!"
Another commenter, a teacher in the area, said, "This teacher says thank you for keeping the safety of our students and staff in the forefront of your mind! I appreciate you!!"
The post has gone viral.
The WIS weather team made this list of things to know about the incoming hurricane:
- Wednesday and Thursday are Alert Days as we track the path of Hurricane Michael.
- A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for the Midlands, along with Tropical Storm Warning.
- Michael is expected to gain even more strength as it heads toward the northern Gulf Coast. The storm will likely make landfall in Florida Wednesday.
- Although the storm will NOT make landfall in South Carolina, we will see some impacts from the storm based on the current forecast track. Don’t let your guard down!
- Here in the Midlands, we need to brace ourselves for bands of heavy rain, gusty winds and potential isolated tornadoes as the storm moves over the state through Thursday night.
- Portions of the Midlands could see between 3 and 5 inches of rain and wind gusts between 45 and 50 mph through the day Thursday. Power outages are likely.
- Please note: Impacts will all depend on the exact track of Michael. Some of our forecast estimates for rain and wind could go up or down. Stay tuned.
- Our weather improves a bit by Friday with highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s.
- Your weekend brings sunshine with highs in the 70s and lows in the mid 50s.
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