Tropical Storm Debby could bring life-threatening floods to the Myrtle Beach area, through flash floods, river floods and storm surges.
Where do these different kinds of floods occur? And when should you worry about them? Here’s the differences between the three.
River flooding
River flooding typically takes several days to develop and takes longer to disappear than flash floods and storm surges, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Steven Pfaff.
Over the course of a couple days, water from flash floods, runoffs and rain end up in the river. This causes the water to slowly rise and fall, often devastating houses and other structures.
In Horry County, the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry is expecting major flooding, the Waccamaw River in Conway should get moderate flooding and the Waccamaw River in Longs has minor floods predicted, according to a river briefing from the National Weather Service.
At the Little Pee Dee near Galivants Ferry and the Waccamaw near Conway, water levels could rise from 8 feet on Tuesday to 13 feet by Saturday, the National Weather Service said. The Waccamaw near Longs is expected to rise from 4.5 feet to 14 feet between Tuesday and Saturday.