Flying from Colorado to Charleston SC mid-Sept for 10 day vacation. Plan to spend our time on SC coast & Charleston, but aware of ongoing tropical storm threats.

What are some recommended alternative(inland) destinations, if the weather forecast stays on the extremely rainy side? We will have rental car, a flexible schedule and don't mind driving a bit.

Thx for any suggestions.

Nashville

sharonmb, I was being somewhat facetious in my reply. I was thinking of the fact that Tropical Storm Gaston killed 5 people in Richmond, Virginia, in the last day or so and caused massive flooding.

We are praying our week at Kiawah starting Sept. 4 won't be canceled.

Who knows?

Inland isn't any safer than coastal areas.

Asheville would be a good choice.

We were going to Hilton Head for a long weekend but decided to opt for a Colorado weekend instead. I don't think Frances is headed directly to HH but one never knows with these things!

Good choice, Dan. I think you'll at least be out of the way of Frances in Colorado! I suspect no one on the east coast is going to have good weather this weekend regardless of where this thing actually hits.

emckeeve,

Check www.kiawahisland.org - the Town's website - for updates on the storm threat and any possible evacuations. Are you staying at the Inn, the Sanctuary or ahouse/condo/villa?

to dsgmi -

We're staying at Windswept condos right next to the Sanctuary. Is it finally open? Thanks for the website. I'll keep my eye on it. Our flight to CHS is Saturday afternoon so if the plane goes, I guess we will too.

Thx for your replies. Ashville & Smoky Mtns were up there on my list of alternatives; although, being from landlocked Colo, we enjoy the water while on vacation. We were in Chas, Savannah & Amelia Isl 2 yrs ago in Sept. Beautiful, no storms; we will hope for the best this year, espec for the natives. After all, we are just on vacation & these poor folks are being hit w/ one storm after another.

Dan, enjoy your trip to my state, great time of year to visit. I live in Co Springs and feel blessed.

emckeeve, I'm still trying hard not to laugh at the thought of staying next week at "Windswept Condos".

I'll try to enjoy our vacation but I do feel bad for my family. First the grandparents get house damage in Sanibel and now my folks are worried in Palm Beach! It's a lot in one month!

Patrick - I did notice the play on words - Windswept. Now it looks like Kiawah will be out of harms way, but I feel for the people of FL. We have many friends and family there. God bless them. They are still suffering from Charley.

emckee, who said Kiawah was out of the path of the storm?

Since I live near Kiawah and I'm not out of the path I'd really love to know.

GoTravel,

I'm with you--it's too easy to derive comfort from the fact that the center of a cone of probability is south of your location. I just checked the National Hurricane Center's probability chart, and the 5 day forecast includes virtually all of the SC coast.

I meant a direct hit. Should we cancel. You're there and I'm not.

emckeeve,

it's apparently now a moot point, as the 8:00 a.m. Hurricane Center report has taken the SC coast out of its cone of probability. But I was talking about a direct hit. All of the areas included in the zone on the center's probability chart are subject to a direct hit. It's just that the areas North and South of the centerline have a lesser chance of a direct hit.

In any event, be careful if you go into the water; Frances will churn up potentially dangerous rip currents. I live in Myrtle Beach, and our local forecasters are advising that the potential for rip currents is strongest from 2 hours before to 2 hours after low tide.

If you're not familiar with rip currents, please advise, and I (or someone more knowledgeable) will try to explain.

Seems to me, if I were debating a vacation starting this weekend, I would be more concerned over whether my planned activities would be ruined by rain...not by fear for my safety.

Looks like Sun through Tues will be washouts. If my only plans were relaxing on the beach, I'd think about going elsewhere. If I had a bunch of indoor activities planned in the historic district of Chas, it might not bother me.

Rip Currents - I went swimming last Saturday before Gaston came on shore Sunday morning. It was seriously rough surf and the tow was so fast to the west of Folly that you litterally could not stand in one place. My husband weighs about 120 more than I do and he could stand still, but my feet were picked up and scooted along the bottom while I stood. You have a much better chance swimming than you do trying to stand and walk against that kind of current. Also, the farther out you go, the less the tow. I would not have let a child NEAR the water that day.

Coventional wisdom is if you get tired trying to swim against a rip current, stop struggling and "go with the flow", it will deposit you somewhere.

Beachdweller, do you agree with that, and can you tell me if there is any difference between "undertow" and rip currents other than magnitude?

emckee, a direct hit by a hurricane is of course a bad thing but the path of the hurricane and the outlying winds are just as important.

Richmond Virginia was 300 miles away from Gaston landfall but it was in the path of the storm. The flooding from Gaston in Richmond caused 5 deaths wich is much higher than Charleston (no deaths) where the storm made landfall.

Am I making sense?

You will be fine in Kiawah this weekend. I actually think it should be nice on the beach.

I also didn't mention, for those of you unfamiliar with Kiawah and Great Beach Vacations, that this a pre-paid week for condo and golf. Since the hurricane will only bring bad weather, not dangerous conditions, I'm sure there will be no refund - except for the golf if it's a total wash out. And yes, since we live in Dallas, we were looking forward to late afternoons on the beach. Thanks for the advise on the rip currents. We'll try to make the best of it. I shouldn't be complaining when Florida is on the verge of so much destruction.