The first tropical storm to threaten the United States this year is expected to slam into the coast of SC during the Memorial Day weekend, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, federal officials said on Saturday.
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The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1.
The weather service expects the system to turn northeast later on Sunday and gradually travel to the upper SC and North Carolina coastline through Wednesday.
The storm, which would be named Bonnie, was only expected to be a minimal tropical storm when it reaches the SC coast.
Forecasters detected 40 miles per hour winds in the storm Saturday afternoon, making it the season’s second-named tropical storm, four days before the official start of hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the weather service, tropical storm force winds and high seas will lead to risky conditions on the water.
Tropical Depression Two was centered around 195 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina as of late Saturday morning and is moving northwest at 10-15 mph.
The National Hurricane Center is forecasting the storm’s center will reach the coast near Charleston Sunday.
Some additional strengthening is possible tonight as Bonnie moves over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
The storm is forecast to become Tropical Storm Bonnie later today or tonight. The weather system is expected to produce one to three inches (3 to 8 cm) of rainfall along parts of the SC coast.
Alex, a rare wintertime storm that threatened the Azores island group far off the coast of Portugal, never came near the United States. The NHC model forecasts that Bonnie will stall or meander along the coastal region of SC in 24-36 hours before drifting off to the east or northeast by 48 hours. Strong rip currents also are expected.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms in the upcoming hurricane season. “However, a near-normal prediction for this season suggests we could see more hurricane activity than we’ve seen in the last three years, which were below normal”.
