by Steve Garrison and Jocelyn Grzeszczak at The Post and Courier
Ian became a hurricane again the afternoon of Sept. 29 as it swirled over the Atlantic Ocean on an uncertain path for the Palmetto State.
Shortly after 11 a.m., cellphones at the Costco in West Ashley screamed out emergency tones in waves: Charleston was now under a hurricane warning. Shoppers took a break from filling carts with cases of bottled water, sets of lanterns, and packages of paper towels to read the message.
The brunt of the storm was expected to arrive Sept. 30, when Ian is forecast to make landfall in the Lowcountry. Where exactly the storm would hit remained a mystery the evening of Sept. 29, as forecasts showed the storm’s path shifting toward the eastern part of South Carolina.
Ron Morales, meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Charleston office, said in an evening weather briefing that he understood people’s frustrations regarding the storm’s uncertain trajectory, but the “granularities” of the storm system made all the difference in terms of impact.
“It’s upsetting, because I want to give you all a perfect answer right now —And I can’t,” he said…
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