Tropical rainfall produced extensive flooding across portions of the WTOC Viewing Area; washing out roads, closing large stretches of major travel routes and inundating some structures.
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Bonnie was declared a tropical storm on Saturday evening after forecasters detected winds at 40 miles per hour, making it the season’s second-named tropical storm – four days before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical storm “Debby” would follow just a few weeks later resulting in widespread significant flooding for the First Coast. A little more than 1 1/2 inches of rain was recorded at Charleston Air Force Base by Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Winds caused by the storm reached 40 miles per hour Saturday night but had dropped below 35 miles per hour by Sunday morning, according to U.S. Air Force data reported to the hurricane center.
The storm brought with it up to eight inches of rainfall in some areas, and three inches of rain in Charleston.
Forecasters say up to 200 millimetres of rain have fallen in parts of southern SC.
The center of Tropical Depression Bonnie made landfall just east of Charleston, on the isle of Palms around 8:30 am.
“It won’t have a direct impact on us”, he said.
Forecasters say up to 8 inches of rain have fallen in parts of southern SC.
Bonnie is close to Charleston and is expected to keep heading north.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami Friday issued its prediction for the season, saying forecasters calculate a 70 percent chance of 10 to 16 named storms in the Atlantic.
Caution will be needed along the east coast as risky rip currents, rough seas, and gusty winds are expected to persist over coastal sections through midweek.
High winds and heavy rain are pounding parts of SC and Georgia as Tropical Depression Bonnie interrupts the Memorial Day weekend for some.
Hurricane Alex, a storm that formed over the far eastern Atlantic in January, is included in the center’s outlook. Forecasters say the worst of the rain and winds are ahead of the center of the tropical storm.
The beginning of this Memorial Day weekend should be lovely but a tropical depression taking aim at SC could make for a wet second half of the holiday.
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Forecasters warned that the storm would likely produce unsafe surf and rip currents along the U.S. Southeast coast, a particular concern during the long Memorial Day weekend, when swimmers and surfers typically flock to beaches.
