SCEIN

With the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season less than a month away, South Carolina officials are urging residents to prepare now as part of Hurricane Preparedness Month.

A widespread rainfall event is likely across the Carolinas from late on Friday through Saturday, with some areas that could pick up an inch of much-needed rain.

Air quality values across South Carolina are expected to remain mostly in the good range this week, with only a brief window of concern Tuesday and Wednesday.

The prevailing wind flow out of the south and west is helping to send smoke from wildfires burning in Georgia and Florida into South Carolina.

Drought conditions across South Carolina are rapidly expanding, with more than 97% of the state now officially in a drought. Little to no rainfall is expected during the coming weeks.

A forecasted "super" El Niño later this year could have important implications for South Carolina, especially beyond hurricane season. While it can work against Atlantic storms, it also tends to favor a stormier/wetter winter across the Southeast.

A heat dome over the Southeast is pushing temperatures into the 80s and 90s across the Palmetto State.

Forecasters expect tropical cyclone activity could resemble seasons in 2006, 2009, 2015 and 2023. El Nino plays a prominent role in each of the seasons.

Colorado State University may be landlocked, but its seasonal hurricane forecast is closely watched in South Carolina, where storms like Hugo, Ian, and Idalia show how vulnerable the coast remains.

La Niña officially emerged in September 2025 and lasted until April. Neutral conditions are present, but a El Niño is expected to emerge later in 2026.