Cristobal weakened to a tropical depression Monday morning, after crashing ashore as a lopsided tropical storm a day prior in Louisiana and ginned up dangerous weather farther east, sending waves crashing over Mississippi beaches, swamping parts of an Alabama island town and spawning a tornado in Florida.
South Carolina has already been affected by one named storm before the official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, but state and county officials say this yearβs preparations have been a bit different thanks to the unique challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak.
South Carolina may have been hit by surprise Tropical Storm Bertha several days ago, but the stateβs hurricane preparedness week is getting ready to start.
As hurricane season starts Monday, most of North Carolinaβs coastal counties are grappling with shortfalls or concerns about equipment and resources as they balance the dual threat of tropical weather and the COVID-19 pandemic.