MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Thousands of Jeep owners are in Myrtle Beach this weekend for the ninth Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam, a three-day gathering that runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, at the former Myrtle Square Mall site.
Organizers expect more than 30,000 attendees and around 5,000 Jeeps. Event figures show visitors come from 40 states and two Canadian provinces, and about 65 percent travel from outside South Carolina.
That traffic matters to local businesses in the slow months after summer. The event books an estimated 7,500 hotel room nights and is credited with a $12.5 million economic impact, spread across hotels, restaurants, attractions and gas stations. Stuart Butler, president of Visit Myrtle Beach, has called it one of the area’s biggest October events.
Drivers heading to the rally on Friday should watch the water. The National Weather Service office in Wilmington issued a coastal flood advisory for the Myrtle Beach area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., warning of up to a foot of water in low spots near the shore and tidal waterways.
Forecasters said causeways to the beaches and roads along the Intracoastal Waterway could see minor flooding, and they urged drivers to stay away from barricades and standing water.
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