Tropical Storm Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression Sunday morning as reached the USA southeast coast, soaking eastern Georgia and portions of the Carolinas in areas crowded with tourists on the Memorial Day weekend.
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Bonnie’s top sustained winds decreased to 35 miles per hour this morning, dipping below the threshold for a tropical storm.
Bonnie came ashore just northeast of Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday morning, bringing heavy rains, minor flooding and sustained winds of about 30 miles per hour.
The formation of Bonnie marks the second such weather system of 2016, following one that grew into Hurricane Alex in the far eastern Atlantic in January.
Heavy rains have already begun falling along the SC coast.
The National Hurricane Center says the center of the storm is barely moving just northwest of Charleston. The storm is moving north at about 9 miles per hour.
At least one to three inches of rain will fall across SC and portions of North Carolina with isolated totals near six inches.
Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday morning as it neared the cost of SC but was still dumping rain on parts of the Southeast. Winds are not expected to be an issue, however there is a high risk for risky rip currents along the beaches of southeastern North Carolina.
The heaviest rain in North Carolina will likely fall at the coast this weekend. After midnight a steady rain will move into the region as some of the moisture associated with Tropical Depression Bonnie moves into the area.
The chance of rain Monday is 60 percent, Berry said, and gradually decreases through the night. “We were thinking it would be a little more organized tropical storm, but it is producing kind of a washout in coastal areas in the Carolinas”.
Alli Pulley, desk clerk at The Tides hotel on Folly Beach, said guests were staying put despite the weather and the 132-room hotel was full.
Although system will be non-tropical, there could be an increased risk of rip currents at area beaches mid to late week.
Officials in Charleston were monitoring winds.
Monday night, the steady rain will end from west to eat with some sunshine expected.
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