Emergency officials said residents in Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, Charleston and Hampton counties should be prepared to leave in a voluntary evacuation, particularly those in low-lying areas or mobile homes.
"We're not pulling the trigger just yet," Gov. Mark Sanford said in a statement released Thursday, "but given the potential in our state for lowland flooding and 65 mph winds with Charley, there's a real possibility that a voluntary evacuation for our southeastern coastal areas could come as early as (today). I'm particularly worried that this storm's most powerful area could affect our ... coast right at high tide Saturday morning, creating a potentially life-threatening storm surge and the potential for serious flooding."
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, officials expected Charley to be over the Lowcountry at about 8 a.m. Saturday, right about high tide.
William Winn, Beaufort County emergency management coordinator, said the county expected to make a decision about evacuation early today that would involve residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas, including Fripp, Hunting, Judge, Coosaw and Harbour islands and parts of Hilton Head Island.
The National Weather Service in Charleston predicted Hurricane Charley could bring winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour with higher wind gusts, and an average of two to four inches of rain, with up to six inches in some locations, said meteorologist Steve Wilkinson. No watches had been issued for the area by Thursday evening.
Even residents not in low-lying areas should keep an eye on the weather forecast. They should take any outdoor furniture inside and get hurricane supplies together, such as bottles of water and candles, said Suzanne Larson, county spokeswoman.
John Williams, spokesman for the Beaufort County School District, said parents and students should monitor Savannah television and radio stations for information about potential school closings.
He said that at the time they began considering closing schools, there were concerns that rain and wind from Tropical Storm Bonnie could make it treacherous to get students to school Friday morning. Bonnie was downgraded to a tropical depression Thursday afternoon and was out of the area by 11 p.m. Thursday.
Tourists in the area, Winn said, should monitor local media sites. He said Thursday evening that leaving still should be an individual decision.
Area utilities are working to make sure they are prepared if the wind and rain from Charley causes damage in the Lowcountry.
Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority officials are making sure heavy equipment needed for different types of repair work are on either side of the Broad River and other bridges, said spokeswoman Jerrie Legare. She said that way, work can be done even if a bridge is damaged.
The authority also is making sure its generators and other fuel-powered equipment are full of fuel, Legare said.
Jimmy Baker, Palmetto Electric Cooperative spokesman, said the utility was working to make sure all its employees are available to help if the storm causes power outages. He said the utility can rely on other cooperatives for help if storm damage becomes more than it can handle alone.
"We just are watching the weather like everyone else," Baker said. "It just depends on what the storm does."
Even though the Lowcountry has come up short on rainfall so far this year, a lot of rain in a short amount of time from two tropical systems spells trouble.
"It really doesn't matter (whether the ground) is saturated or not, it's still going to cause flooding," said state climatologist Hope Mizzell. "We anticipate the rate being so much and the rate being so high it will cause flooding."
Since Jan. 1, local rainfall has been about nine inches short of the average 31.5 inches. The 4.5 inches of rain in July was about 2 inches below average.
What none of the experts can say is where or how much flooding might occur in Beaufort or Jasper counties.
But Venkat Lakshmi, a University of South Carolina geology professor, said if Charley continues on its predicted path, staying over land instead of heading offshore, it could lose much of its intensity and rain before it reaches the Lowcountry.
The location of the eye of the storm as it passes over an area is important, said George Voulgaris, a University of South Carolina geology researcher. The right side of a storm is always more dangerous because of the counterclockwise direction of the storm's rotation.
Because the winds could be coming off the ocean in the coastal areas, Voulgaris said, flooding problems could be worse at higher tides.