Charleston County is under the first tropical storm warning of the hurricane season as a depression about 150 miles south-southeast of the Holy City strengthened overnight into Tropical Storm Chantel.
A tropical storm watch stretches from Edisto Island to the South Santee River, which then becomes a tropical storm warning to the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. Watch conditions means a tropical storm is possible over the next 24 hours; more serious warning conditions indicate a storm may pass through in the next 12 hours.
Winds are forecasted to pick up through the day along Charleston County’s coast with speeds reaching up to mph and continuing through Sunday morning. But the brunt of the storm is expected to impact the coast near the border of the Carolinas, where up to six inches of rain could fall in the next couple of days.
In Charleston County, the National Hurricane Center says rainfall amounts should be a couple of inches through Monday, which elevates risks for flash flooding.
“A slow motion toward the north-northwest is expected to begin later today, followed by a turn to the northeast by Sunday night,” the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning. “On the forecast track, the center of Chantal is expected to move across the coast of South Carolina Sunday morning.”
In addition to strong winds and heavy rainfall in the coastal Carolinas, forecasters warned of threats from storm surge and rip currents
“The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.
“The tropical storm is expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coast from northeastern Florida to the Mid-Atlantic states during the next couple of days.
An updated weather advisory is expected at 11 a.m. More: National Hurricane Center.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
