Will weather interrupt the finish at Hilton Head’s RBC Heritage? Here’s the forecast

There’s a pretty good chance the weather will interrupt what is shaping up to be a fantastic finish at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on Sunday.

The chance of rain is 70-80%, DTN meteorologist Stewart Williams told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette early Sunday afternoon.

“We definitely have a good shot of seeing some rain and thunderstorms this afternoon,” Williams said.

DTN contracts with the PGA Tour to provide meteorologic services for tournaments across the country. Williams is on site at the Harbour Town Golf Links, the location of the RBC Heritage.

Showers are expected at around 2 p.m. and thunderstorms are possible between 3-6 p.m., Williams said.

Lightning and heavy downpours are possible during the thunderstorms, Williams said.

“Hopefully we can play some dodge ball,” Williams said. “This island is famous for missing stuff. So we’re going to need a little luck this afternoon.”

If it is determined to be a dangerous situation, players and spectators will be asked to leave the course and take shelter. Horns will be blown to signal such a situation, Williams said.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a perfect week and now the last few hours of the golf tournament we’re going to have the weather,” Williams said.

The National Weather Service in Charleston said fans should be ready for thunderstorms and have a plan to seek shelter from the rain and lightning. “We need to make sure we get inside when lightning strikes,” said Brian Haines, a Weather Service meteorologist in Charleston.

The first three rounds of tournament golf at Harbour Town Golf Links were accompanied by sunshine and temperatures ranging from the upper 70s into the mid-80s.

According to the forecast, a cold front will be slowly moving southward into the Hilton Head Island area, increasing the chances for showers and a few thunderstorms as play gets into the early to mid-afternoon hours and continuing into the evening hours. Storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall. As of 1 p.m., the tournament was still in progress.

The final pairing of the day, Scottie Scheffler and Sepp Straka, is set to tee off at 1:55 p.m. ET. Scheffler holds a one-stroke lead at 16-under.