Good thing tourism leaders weren't counting on August to make the season.

A trio of back-to-back tropical storms - two that have hit, one with an uncertain path - has turned August into a topsy-turvy month with millions of dollars in lost business for the coastal Carolinas.

Area leaders have their fingers crossed that Hurricane Frances - a powerful storm churning in the Atlantic - won't crash the big Labor Day weekend.

It's too early to tell what effect Frances, which could reach the Southeast United States by the weekend as a powerful Category 4 storm, will have on the Grand Strand.

"It's not going to come here," said Anna Marie Brock, assistant manager of Barefoot Landing. "We can't have three weekends in August affected."

Major storms have become frequent visitors this month: Charley on Aug. 14, Gaston two weeks later. Now Frances may stop this weekend.

In Brunswick County, N.C., officials hope Frances won't wash out one of the area's best tourist weekends.

"Labor Day is usually a good weekend for us. We'll hope for the best," said Mitzi York, president of the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce.

Just the concern over the storm is expected to keep some Carolinas residents at home this Labor Day weekend, according to AAA Carolinas. About 1.2 million Carolinians will drive at least 50 miles from home for the holiday, the same number as last year.

"It definitely rains on the parade, ends the season with a whimper," said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

About 70 percent of Horry County's rooms are booked for the coming Labor Day weekend, according to Coastal Carolina University's Center for Economic Development. That could change depending on Frances.

Unlike with Charley and Gaston - storms that suddenly changed paths or formed quickly with little warning - Frances already is on the radar and causing some people to rethink their plans.

About 10 people called to cancel reservations at the Sea Mist Resort on Monday, a small fraction of the 823-room hotel's expected Labor Day business. Locals urged those callers to delay changing their plans until later in the week when Frances' path will be more certain.

Even before the storms, officials weren't expecting August numbers to match last year because Labor Day weekend falls in September this year, not in August as it did in 2003.

Then comes Charley, which took a $30.4 million chunk from lodging properties when it brushed the coast. A mandatory evacuation east of U.S. 17 Business sent 150,000 tourists inland.

Gaston didn't come with a mandatory evacuation. But restaurants and attractions took a hit because many tourists didn't go out as much, Dean said.

Last year, unexpected growth in August saved the season after a slow start. This year, the rough ending could dampen what was shaping up to be one of the best summers in years for the Grand Strand.

Horry County accommodations tax collections, a key gauge of the industry, increased in May and June compared to those months last year. July's numbers aren't available, but businesses say it was a solid month.