The storm roiling less than 500 miles off the Lowcountry became Tropical Depression 2 on Friday afternoon, and the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for SC coast.
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The tropical cyclone is forecast to make landfall on the SC coast on Sunday.After making landfall, Bonnie is expected to weaken back to Tropical Depression 2 on Memorial Day as the storm makes a turn to the northeast and travels up the SC coastline.
Scientists with the national Climate Prediction Center said Friday there’s a 70 percent chance of 10-16 named storms this year, with four to eight of them spinning up into hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour. The storm, which would be named Bonnie, was only expected to be a minimal tropical storm when it reaches the SC coast.
Forecasters say several inches of rain could fall along the SC and North Carolina coasts as the low pressure system nears shore late Saturday, then moves northeast along the coast over the long Memorial Day weekend.
An area of low pressure off the Florida coast could brew into Tropical Storm Bonnie. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the storm’s center, mainly to the northwest.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially arrives June 1st.
This general motion… accompanied by a decrease in forward speed… is expected later today and on Sunday as the system nears the coast.
If it does become a storm, it will get the name Bonnie.
13-20 named storms (winds 39-73mph).
Here is the latest video forecasrt for the Charlotte area and the most recent tropical track for TD #2.
Heavy rains have already begun falling along the SC coast. Even though this system is forming before the official start to the Atlantic Hurricane season, it does not mean that this has never happened before or that is unusual. The storm was the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic in January since 1938 and made landfall in the Azores on Jan. 15.
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At this time, Tropical Depression TWO will likely bring periods of rain and thunderstorms to the coast for both Saturday and Sunday.
