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S.C. coast faces storm surge of 6-9 feet from Hurricane Matthew

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As NPR has reported, more than 1 million utility customers in Florida lost power due to Matthew -- and the storm is being associated with four deaths: two women who died in separate accidents, and an elderly couple who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while running a generator.

Here's the National Hurricane Center's guidance on storm surge levels along the Atlantic coast:

"The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

  • "Altamaha Sound, GA, to Edisto Beach, SC...6 to 9 ft

  • "Edisto Beach, SC to Cape Fear, NC...5 to 7 ft

  • "Cape Fear to Duck, NC, including portions of the Pamlico and Albemarle Sound, N.C.: 2 to 4 ft."

Matthew has been dumping rain on the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia for more than 12 hours -- and how dangerous the storm surge turns out to be will rely in part on what the tides are doing when the surge is highest. Charleston's low tide came around 7 a.m. Saturday -- its high tide will hit just before 2 p.m., and the next low tide will come at 8 p.m.