With five states of emergency already declared in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia, Hurricane Florence looks to make landfall on Thursday night with catastrophic impact. Although the category 3 storm (which is currently the size of Michigan) looks to dump the highest volume of rain primarily along the North Carolina coast, South Carolina is still likely to see intense and potentially devastating flood levels.

During a news briefing on Wednesday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster urged residents living in “low-lying” areas to evacuate immediately, given the likelihood of flooding throughout the state.

Here’s what you need to know about the likelihood of flooding from Hurricane Florence across South Carolina.

Five to Fifteen Inches of Rain Are Expected for South Carolina Over the Next Week

According to the NWS, residents of South Carolina can expect anywhere from five to 15 inches of rainfall over the next few days.

What’s more, Accuweather has predicted catastrophic levels of flooding in the form of river flooding, mudslides, road closures and washouts along the Carolina coastlines and into the upper half of South Carolina from Thursday to Monday.

South Carolina might actually experience worse flooding than North Carolina even if it doesn’t receive the brunt of the rainfall as a result of the topography of the two states, according Lisa Sharrard. Sharrard is an insurance agent and owner of U.S. Flood Solutions in Columbia, South Carolina who spoke to The Post & Courier about the likelihood of catastrophic flooding in South Carolina. She said, “When that watershed fills up in North Carolina, about four or five days later we’ll get the boomerang effect where water comes back down through South Carolina.”

Potential Flooding Zones in South Carolina as of Wednesday, September 12

Hurricane Florence prompts evacuations orders along South Carolina coastHurricane Florence has grown into a powerful Category 4 storm, heading for the Carolinas. On Tuesday, everyone living along South Carolina's coastline must evacuate. CBS News correspondent David Begnaud has the latest. Subscribe to the "CBS Evening News" Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/1S7Dhik Watch Full Episodes of the "CBS Evening News" HERE: http://cbsn.ws/23XekKA Watch the latest installment… 2018-09-10T22:55:13.000Z

If you are a South Carolina resident (or a resident of any other affected state) looking to know if you’re in a flood zone, you can type in your address in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

For now, the NWS lists the following areas in northeast South Carolina as being under a flash flood watch:

Central Horry

Coastal Georgetown

Coastal Horry

Darlington

Dillon

Florence

Inland Georgetown

Marion

Marlboro

Northern Horry

Williamsburg

The South Carolina Storm Surge Forecast Predicts Surges of up to Nine Feet

Significant storm surges are expected along the coastline, with tidal rises of anywhere from six to 13 feet, according to The Weather Channel. Combined with rainfall, this flooding could lead to incredibly damaging flooding along the coastline and much farther inland.

To put it into perspective, The Weather Channel estimates that storm surges of nine feet could cause floods that are so high they might cover the entire first floor of buildings.

Weather.com says of the expected storm surges: “A destructive storm surge will accompany the eye coming ashore sometime from Thursday night into Friday or Saturday, and coastal flooding may persist through multiple high tide cycles into this weekend east of the center of Florence. Large, battering waves will ride atop this surge. All evacuation orders from local officials should be followed because of this dangerous threat. Significant beach erosion is also likely on the southeastern U.S. coast. Elevated water levels may persist for some time after landfall in areas where onshore winds persist.”

Here are the latest storm surge estimates from the National Hurricane Center, as of Wednesday:

Cape Fear to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, including the Neuse, Pamlico, Pungo and Bay Rivers: 9 to 13 feet

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina: 6 to 9 feet

Cape Lookout, North Carolina, to Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina: 6 to 9 feet

South Santee River, South Carolina, to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: 4 to 6 feet

Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina, to Salvo, North Carolina: 4 to 6 feet

Salvo, North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia border: 2 to 4 feet

Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to the South Santee River, South Carolina: 2 to 4 feet

READ NEXT: North Carolina Flooding Maps & Projections for Hurricane Florence