The storm was still expected to produce maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour throughout the day.
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Bonnie is expected to remain a weak tropical storm as it continues slowly drifting toward the SC coast.
Forecasters say up to 200 millimetres of rain have fallen in parts of southern SC.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the SC coast and forecasters said an isolated tornado or two will be possible early Sunday over the immediate coastal region from central SC through southern North Carolina.
The tropical storm warnings that had blanketed the SC coast were dropped, although what was left of the storm was still expected to come ashore later this morning. The gusts may cause tree limbs to fall, scattered power outages and make driving over bridges hazardous, according to the National Weather Service.
The Atlantic could see 10 to 16 tropical storms, of which four to eight could become hurricanes, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center. The system prompted flash flood warnings in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties through late Sunday morning and broke rainfall records both weekend days.
The primary impact will be 1 to 3 inches of rain, with higher amounts from eastern SC through southeastern North Carolina.
Central and Southeast Texas could get scattered thunderstorms over the holiday weekend, but officials plan to monitor local rivers and waterways in case they overflow due to the heavy rainfall.
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Tropical Storm Bonnie is stalled off the coast of SC but is expected to start moving toward land overnight. Hurricane Alex formed in the Atlantic Ocean in January and never made landfall. In years past we’ve written here about the NOAA forecasts for hurricane season and the fact that they don’t seem to have much correlation to what actually happens. It was the fourth tropical storm to form in January and the first since 1978.
